^STLESe^'CHATEA 

OF 


UC-NRLF 


B    3    M31    lOfl 


A  ^T  ^  -THE  BORDER  PRO Vr 


Fri\nr-iq  Milfo?js 


V 


iSMUm 


.iiiA^JLim&.lliSfi'  ^^*-"  '•f^'-' n-'  -'■-'^^-'' 


m 


aesJ>UCS  aeBOlJROOC 


i 


jgafcC-;ji>;v>M«a^y4;«>ai iqjwifwrarMr  - <i;>j»»^-4 


e 


I 


Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

and  the  Border  Provinces 


1 


WORKS  OF 

FRANCIS   MILTOUN 

;^i»* 

Rambles  on  the  Riviera 

$2.50 

Rambles  in  Normandy 

2.50 

Rambles  tn  Brittany 

2.50 

The  Cathedrals  and  Churches  of  the  Rhine 

2.50 

The  Cathedrals  of  Northern  France 

2.50 

The  Cathedrals  of  Southern  France 

2.50 

In  the  Land  of  Mosques  and  Minarets 

3.00 

Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Touraine  and 

the  Loire  Country 

3.00 

Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Navarre  and 

the  Basque  Provinces 

3.00 

Castles   and    Chateaux    of  Old    Burgundy 

and  the  Border  Provinces 

3.00 

Italian    Highways    and   Byways    from    a 

Motor  Car 

3.00 

The  Automobilist  Abroad                            net 

3.00 

(Postage  Extra)  | 

^^^^ 

L.  C.  Page  and  Company 

New  England  Building,  Boston,  Mass. 

Castles  ana 


uX 


OF 


OLD    BUR 


( 


AND  THE  BORDER   i 


By        Franc I 


Cha: 


RcprwHctd  frc 

By      Blanche      McManus 

Chaicau.  de  Mnntbiliaiil 


(S8«  page  194) 


C  O  M 


Y 


V  'i 


(k"  >asq  s»2) 


Castles  and  Chateaux 


OF 


OLD    BURGUNDY 

AND   THE  BORDER  PROVINCES 


By 


Francis        M  i  l  t  o  u  n 


Author  of  "  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Touraine,"  "  Castles  and 

Chateaux  of  Old  Navarre,"  "  Rambles  in  Normandy,"  "  Italian 

Highways  and  Byways  from  a  Motor-Car,"  etc. 

With     Many     Illustrations 
Reproduced  from  paintings  madi  on  the  spot 

By      Blanche      McManus 


Boston 
L.    C.     PAGE    &    COMPANY 

1909 


Copyright,  1909, 
By  L.  C.  Page  &  Company 

(IirCOBPOKATED) 


All  rights  reserved 


First  Impression,  November,  1909 


•.  /  t :  -: : 


Flectrotvperl  nnd  Printed  hy 
THE  COLONIAL  PRESS 
C.  n.  Simonds  &  Co.,  Boston,  U.S.A. 


iCONTENT^W 


11 


Tll^Jt 


iM 


J 


Vp  -3^ OK  -tl— J} — '! 


""♦•ii-fy^- 


OHAPTER 

I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XL 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 


The  Realm  of  the  Burgundians 
In  the  Valley  of  the  Yonne 

AVALLON,    VeZELAY,    AND   ChASTELLUX   . 

Semur  -  en  -  Auxois,   Epoisses  and  Bour 

BILLY        

MONTBARD    AND    BuSSY  -  RaBUTIN    . 

"  Chastillon  au  Noble  Due  " 

TONNERRE,    TaNLAY    AND    AnCY  -  LE  -  FrANC 

In  Old  Burgundy    

Dijon  the  City  of  the  Dukes     . 

In  the  Cote  d'Or:  Beaune,  La  Rochepot 

AND  Epinac         .       .  *    . 
Macon,  Cluny  and  the  Charollais  . 
In  the  Beaujolais  and  Lyonnais 
The  Tranche  Comte;    Auxonne  and  Be- 

SANrON  

On  the  Swiss  Border:  Bugey  and  Bresse 
Grenoble  and  Vizille  :  the  Capital  op  the 

Dauphins 

Chambery   and   the   Lac   du  Bourget     . 

V 


1 

19 
36 

50 
62 
75 

84 
101 

mi 


13 


153 
170 

185 
199 

218 
229 


255125 


VI 


Contents 


CHAPTER 
XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 
XX. 

XXI. 
XXII. 


In  the  Shadow  of  La  Grande  Chartreuse 
Annecy  and  Lac  Leman        .... 
The  Mountain  Background  of  Savoy 
By  the  Banks  of  the  Rhone 
In  the  Alps  of  Dauphiny     .... 
In  Lower  Dauphiny 


PAGB 

245 
259 
278 
290 
300 
313 


Index 325 


^nmr 


^1 


Chateau  de  Montbeliard  (see  page  194) 

Geographical  Limits  covered  by  Contents 

The  Heart  of  Old  Burgundy  (Map)  . 

Chateau  de  Saint  Fargeau 

Tour  Gaillarde,  Auxerre 

Chateau  de  Chastellux 

Semur  -  en  -  Auxois    . 

Chateau  d'Epoisses 

Arnay  -  le  -  Due 

Chateau  de  Bussy  -  Rabutin 

Chateau  des  Dues,  Chatillon 

Chateau  de  Tanlay 

Chateau  and  Gardens  of  Ancy  -  le  -  Franc 

Chateau  of  Ancy  -  le  -  Franc 

Monograms  from  the  Chambre  des  Fleurs 

Burgundy  through  the  Ages  (Map)  . 

The  Dijonnais  and  the  Beau.iolais  (Map) 

Key  of  Vaulting,  Dijon        .... 

Cuisines  at  Di.ion 

Chateau  des  Dues,  Dijon      .... 


PAGE 

Frontispiece 

(Map) 

X 

facing 

2 

facing 

28 

facing 

32 

facing 

38 

facing 

50 

facing 

54 

facing 

60 

facing 

68 

facing 

76 

facing 

90 

94 

facing 

96 

98 

101 

facing 

112 

. 

113 

119 

facing 

122 

!' 


viii  List  of  Illustrations 

PAGE 

Clos  Vougeot.  —  Chambebtin 137 

Hospice  de  Beaune facing  144 

Chateau  de  La  Rochepot      ....      facing  148 

Chateau  de  Sully facing  150 

Chateau  de  Ch.vumont  -  la  -  Guiche    .        .      facing  154 

Hotel  de  Ville,  Paray  -  le  -  Monail         .      facing  156 

Chateau  de  Lamartine facing  166 

Chateau  de  Noble 169 

Palais  Gran^t:lle,  Besancon       .       .       .      facing  192 

The  Lion  of  Belfort 195 

Women  of  Bresse facing  200 

Chateau  de  Voltaire,  Ferney            .       .     facing  204 

Tower  of  the  Palais  de  Justice,  Grenoble         .  219 

Chateau  d'Uriage facing  224 

Chateau  de  Vizille facing  226 

Portal  of  the  Chateau  de  Chambery      .      facing  230 

Portal  St.  Dominique,  Chambery       ....  231 

Chateau  de  Chambery facing  232 

Les  Charmettes 235 

Chateau  de  Chignin facing  238 

Abbey  of  Hautecombe facing  240 

Maison  des  Dauphins,  Tour  -de  -  Pin       .      facing  246 

Chateau  Bayard facing  248 

La  Tour  Sans  YE^^N 255 

Chateau  d'Annecy    ...               .       .      facing  260 

Chateau  de  Ripaille facing  272 

EviAN facing  276 

Aix  -  les  -  Bains  to  Albertville  (Map)     .       .       .  279 

Montmelian 280 

Chateau  de  Miolans facing  284 

CoNFLANS facing  286 

Seal  of  the  Native  Dauphins 290 

Tower  of  Philippe  de  Valois,  Vienne     .      facing  292 

Chateau  de  Crussol facing  298 

Chateau  de  Briancon      ....             facing  304 


List  of  niustrations  Lt 

PAGE 

Briancon;   Its  Chateau  and  Old  Foetified  Bridge  305 

Chateau  Quetras facing  308 

Ch-^teac  de  Beauvoie facing  316 

Chateau  de  la  Sone facing  320 


Castles  and  Chateaux 
of  Old  Burgundy 

2Uid  the  Border  Provinces 


CHAPTER   I 

THE    REALM    OF    THE    BURGUNDIANS 

"  La  plus  belle  Comte',  c'est  Flandre: 
La  plus  belle  duche',  c'est  Bourgogne, 
Le  plus  beau  royaume,  c'est  France." 

This  statement  is  of  undeniable  merit,  as 
some  of  us,  who  so  love  la  belle  France  —  even 
though  we  be  strangers  —  well  know. 

The  Burgundy  of  Charlemagne's  time  was  a 
much  vaster  extent  of  territory  than  that  of  the 
period  when  the  province  came  to  play  its  own 
kingly  part.  From  the  borders  of  Neustria  to 
Lombardia  and  Provence  it  extended  from  the 
northwest  to  the  southeast,  and  from  Austrasia 
and  Alamannia  in  the  northeast  to  Aquitania 
and  Septimania  in  the  southwest.  In  other 
words,  it  embraced  practically  the  entire  water- 
shed of  the  Phone  and  even  included  the  upper 
reaches  of  the  Yonne  and  Seine  and  a  very  large 

1 


2    Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

portion  of  the  Loire ;  in  short,  all  of  the  great 
central  plain  lying  hetween  the  Alps  and  the 
Cevennes. 

The  old  Burgnndian  province  was  closely 
allied  topographically,  climatically  and  by  ties 
of  family,  with  many  of  its  neighbouring  polit- 
ical divisions.  Almost  to  the  He  de  France 
this  extended  on  the  north;  to  the  east,  the 
Franche  Comte  was  but  a  dismemberment; 
whilst  the  Nivernais  and  the  Bourbonnais  to 
the  west,  through  the  lands  and  influence  of 
their  seigneurs,  encroached  more  or  less  on 
Burgundy  or  vice  versa  if  one  chooses  to  think 
of  it  in  that  way.  To  the  southeast  Dombes, 
Bresse  and  Bugey,  all  closely  allied  with  one 
another,  bridged  the  leagues  which  separated 
Burgundy  from  Savoy,  and,  still  farther  on, 
Dauphiny. 

The  influence  of  the  Burgundian  spirit  was, 
however,  over  all.  The  neighbouring  states,  the 
nobility  and  the  people  alike,  envied  and  emu- 
lated, as  far  as  they  were  able,  the  luxurious 
life  of  the  Burgundian  seigneurs  later.  If  at 
one  time  or  another  they  were  actually  enemies, 
they  sooner,  in  many  instances  at  least,  allied 
themselves  as  friends  or  partisans,  and  the 
manner  of  life  of  the  Burgundians  of  the  mid- 
dle ages  became  their  own. 


K^ 


/l 


.1  \ 


-rt'- 


1/      J    -  I  V 


'  m\j'    If  "°  ' 


I  "I    1 


rl 


1 


The  Realm  of  the  Burgundians        3 

Not  in  the  royal  domain  of  France  itself,  not 
in  luxurious  Touraine,  was  there  more  love  of 
splendour  and  the  gorgeous  trappings  of  the 
ceremonial  of  the  middle  ages  than  in  Bur- 
gundy. It  has  ever  been  a  land  of  prosperity 
and  plenty,  to  which,  in  these  late  days,  must 
be  added  peace,  for  there  is  no  region  in  all 
France  of  to-day  where  there  is  more  content- 
ment and  comfort  than  in  the  wealthy  and  opu- 
lent Departments  of  the  Cote  d'Or  and  the 
Saone  and  Loire  which,  since  the  Revolution, 
have  been  carved  out  of  the  very  heart  of  old 
Burgundy. 

The  French  themselves  are  not  commonly 
thought  to  be  great  travellers,  but  they  love 
*'  le  voyage  "  nevertheless,  and  they  are  as 
justifiably  proud  of  their  antiquities  and  their 
historical  monuments  as  any  other  race  on 
earth.  That  they  love  their  patrie,  and  all  that 
pertains  to  it,  with  a  devotion  seemingly  inex- 
plicable to  a  people  who  go  in  only  for 
''  spreadeaglism,"  goes  without  saying. 

"  Qu'i7  est  doux  de  courir  le  mnnde  ! 
Ah  !  qu'il  est  doux  de  voyager  I  " 

sang  the  author  of  the  libretto  of  '*  Diamants 
de  la  Couronne,'*  and  he  certainly  expressed 
the  sentiment  well. 


The  Realm  of  the  Burgundians        3 

Not  iu  the  royal  domain  of  France  itself,  not 
in  luxurious  Touraine,  was  there  more  love  of 
splendour  and  the  gorgeous  trappings  of  the 
ceremonial  of  the  middle  ages  than  in  Bur- 
gundy. It  has  ever  been  a  land  of  prosperity 
and  plenty,  to  which,  in  these  late  days,  must 
be  added  peace,  for  there  is  no  region  in  all 
France  of  to-day  where  there  is  more  content- 
ment and  comfort  than  in  the  wealthy  and  opu- 
lent Departments  of  the  Cote  d'Or  and  the 
Saone  and  Loire  which,  since  the  Revolution, 
have  been  carved  out  of  the  very  heart  of  old 
Burgundy. 

The  French  themselves  are  not  commonly 
thought  to  be  great  travellers,  but  they  love 
*'  le  voyage  "  nevertheless,  and  they  are  as 
justifiably  proud  of  their  antiquities  and  their 
historical  monmnents  as  any  other  race  on 
earth.  That  they  love  their  patrie,  and  all  that 
pertains  to  it,  with  a  devotion  seemingly  inex- 
plicable to  a  people  who  go  in  only  for 
*'  spreadeaglism,"  goes  without  saying. 

"  Qu'il  est  (loux  de  courir  le  mnnde  ! 
Ah  !  qu^il  est  doux  de  voyager  !  " 

sang  the  author  of  the  libretto  of  "  Diamants 
de  la  Couronne,"  and  he  certainly  expressed 
the  sentiment  well. 


4    Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

The  Parisians  themselves  know  and  love  Bur- 
gundy perhaps  more  than  any  other  of  the  old 
mediaeval  provinces;  that  is,  they  seemingly 
love  it  for  itself;  such  minor  contempt  as  they 
have  for  a  Provengal,  a  Xorman  or  a  Breton 
does  not  exist  with  regard  to  a  Bourguignon. 

Said  Michelet:  "  Burgundy  is  a  country 
where  all  are  possessed  of  a  pompous  and 
solemn  eloquence."  This  is  a  tribute  to  its 
men.  And  he  continued:  "It  is  a  country  of 
good  livers  and  joyous  seasons"  —  and  this 
is  an  encomium  of  its  bounty. 

The  men  of  the  modern  world  who  own  to 
Burgundy  as  their  pafrie  are  almost  too  numer- 
ous to  catalogue,  but  all  will  recall  the  names  of 
Buffon,  Guyton  de  Morveau,  Monge  and  Car- 
not,  Rude,  Eameau,  Sambin,  Greuze  and  Pru- 
d  'hon. 

In  the  arts,  too,  Burgundy  has  played  its  own 
special  part,  and  if  the  chateau-builder  did  not 
here  run  riot  as  luxuriously  as  in  Touraine,  he 
at  least  builded  well  and  left  innumerable  ex- 
amples behind  which  will  please  the  lover  of 
historic  shrines  no  less  than  the  more  florid 
Eenaissance  of  the  Loire. 

In  the  eighteenth  century,  the  heart  of  Bur- 
gundy  was  traversed  by  the  celebrated  ''  caches 
d'eau  *'  which,  as  a  means  of  transportation  for 


The  Realm  of  the  Burgundians        5 

travellers,  was  considerably  more  of  an  ap- 
proach to  the  ideal  than  the  railway  of  to-day. 
These  "caches  d'eau"  covered  the  distance 
from  Chalon  to  Lyon  via  the  Saone.  One  reads 
in  the  ''  Almanach  de  Lyon  et  des  Provinces 
de  Lyonnois,  Forez  et  Beaujolais,  pour  I'annee 
bissextile  17G0,"  that  two  of  these  "  coches  " 
each  week  left  Lyon,  on  Mondays  and  Thurs- 
days, making  the  journey  to  Chalon  without 
interruption  via  Trevoux,  Macon  and  Tournus. 
From  Lyon  to  Chalon  took  the  better  part  of 
two  and  a  half  days'  time,  but  the  descent  was 
accomplished  in  less  than  two  days.  From 
Chalon,  by  '*  guimharde,"  it  was  an  affair  of 
eight  days  to  Paris  via  Arnay-le-Duc,  Saulieu, 
Vermanton,  Auxerre,  Joigny  and  Sens.  By 
diligence  all  the  way,  the  journey  from  the  cap- 
ital to  Lyon  was  made  in  five  days  in  summer 
and  six  in  winter.  Says  Mercier  in  his  "  Ta- 
bleau de  Paris  " :  ''  Wlien  Sunday  came  on,  the 
journey  mass  was  said  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning  at  some  tavern  en  route." 

The  ways  and  means  of  travel  in  Burgundy 
have  considerably  changed  in  the  last  two  hun- 
dred years,  but  the  old-time  flavour  of  the  road 
still  hangs  over  all,  and  the  traveller  down 
through  Burgundy  to-day,  especially  if  he  goes 
by  road,  may  experience  not  a  little  of  the 


6    Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

charm  which  has  all  but  disappeared  from 
modern  France  and  its  interminably  straight, 
level,  tree-lined  highways.  Often  enough  one 
may  stop  at  some  old  posting  inn  famous  in  his- 
tory and,  as  he  wheels  his  way  along,  will  see 
the  same  historic  monuments,  magnificent 
churches  and  chateaux  as  did  that  prolific  letter 
writer,  Madame  de  Sevigne. 

Apropos  of  these  mediasval  and  Kenaissance 
chateaux  scattered  up  and  down  France,  the 
Sieur  Colin,  in  1654,  produced  a  work  entitled 
**  Le  Fidele  Conducteur  pour  les  Voyages  en 
France  "  in  which  he  said  that  every  hillside 
throughout  the  kingdom  was  dotted  with  a 
*'  belle  maison  "  or  a  ''  palais."  He,  too,  like 
some  of  us  of  a  later  day,  believed  France  the 
land  of  chateaux  par  excellence. 

Evelyn,  the  diarist  (1641-1647),  thought 
much  the  same  thing  and  so  recorded  his  opin- 
ion. 

The  Duchesse  de  Longueville,  (1646-1647),  on 
her  journey  from  Paris  called  the  first  chateau 
passed  on  the  way  a  "  palais  des  fees,"  which 
it  doubtless  was  in  aspect,  and  Mile,  de  Mont- 
pensier,  in  a  lodging  with  which  she  was  forced 
to  put  up  at  Saint  Fargeau,  named  it  "  plus 
beau  d'lin  cJiateati,"  —  a  true  enough  estimate 
of  many  a  7naison  bourgeois  of  the  time.    At 


The  Realm  of  the  Burgundians        7 

Pouges-les-Eaux,  in  the  Xivernais,  just  on  the 
borders  of  Burgundy,  whilst  she  was  still  trav- 
elling south.  Mile,  de  Montpensier  put  up  at 
the  chateau  of  a  family  friend  and  partook 
of  an  excellent  dinner.  This  really  speaks 
much  for  the  appointments  of  the  house  in 
which  she  stopped,  though  one  is  forced  to 
imagine  the  other  attributes.  She  seemingly 
had  arrived  late,  for  she  wrote:  '^  I  was  indeed 
greatly  surprised  and  pleased  with  my  wel- 
come; one  could  hardly  have  expected  such 
attentions  at  so  unseemly  an  hour." 

La  Fontaine  was  a  most  conscientious  travel- 
ler and  said  some  grand  things  of  the  Eenais- 
sance  chateaux-builders  of  which  literary  his- 
tory has  neglected  to  make  mention. 

Lippomano,  the  Venetian  Ambassador  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  professed  to  have  met  with 
a  population  uncivil  and  wanting  in  probity,  but 
he  exalted,  nevertheless,  to  the  highest  the 
admirable  chateaux  of  princes  and  seigneurs 
which  he  saw  on  the  way  through  Burgundy. 
Zinzerling,  a  young  German  traveller,  in  the 
year  1616,  remarked  much  the  same  thing,  but 
regretted  that  a  certain  class  of  sight-seers  was 
even  then  wont  to  scribble  names  in  public 
places.  "VTe  of  to-day  who  love  old  monuments 
have,  then,  no  more  reason  to  complain  than 


8    Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

had  this  observant  traveller  of  three  hundred 
years  ago. 

Madame  Laroche  was  an  indefatigable  trav- 
eller of  a  later  day  (1787),  and  her  comments 
on  the  "  belles  maisons  de  campagne  "  in  these 
parts  (she  was  not  a  guest  in  royal  chateaux, 
it  seems)  throw  many  interesting  side  lights 
on  the  people,  the  manners  and  the  customs  of 
her  time. 

Bertin  in  his  "  Voyage  de  Bourgogne  "  re- 
counts a  noble  welcome  which  he  received  at  the 
chateau  of  a  Burgundian  seigneur  — ' '  Salvos 
of  musketry,  with  the  seigneur  and  the  ladies  of 
his  household  awaiting  on  the  perron.''''  This 
would  have  made  an  ideal  stage  grouping. 

Arthur  Young,  the  English  agriculturist, 
travelling  in  France  just  previous  to  the  Revo- 
lution, had  all  manner  of  comment  for  the 
French  dwelling  of  whatever  rank,  but  his  ob- 
servations in  general  were  more  with  reference 
to  the  chaumieres  of  peasants  than  with  the 
chateaux  of  seigneurs. 

Time  was  when  France  was  more  thickly 
bestrewn  with  great  monasteries  and  abbeys 
than  now.  They  were  in  many  ways  the  rivals 
of  the  palatial  country  houses  of  the  seigneurs, 
and  their  princely  abbes  and  priors  and  prel- 
ates   frequently    wielded    a    local    power    no 


The  Realm  of  the  Burgundians        9 

less  militant  than  that  of  their  secular  neigh- 
bours. 

Great  churches,  abbeys,  monasteries,  for- 
tresses, chateaux,  donjons  and  barbican  gates 
are  hardly  less  frequently  seen  in  France  to- 
day than  they  were  of  old,  although  in  many 
instances  a  ruin  only  exists  to  tell  the  tale  of 
former  splendour. 

This  is  as  true  of  Burgundy  as  it  is  of  other 
parts  of  France;  indeed,  it  is,  perhaps,  a  more 
apt  reference  here  than  it  would  be  with  regard 
to  Normandy  or  Picardy,  where  many  a  mediae- 
val civic  or  religious  shrine  has  been  made  into 
a  warehouse  or  a  beet-sugar  factory.  The 
closest  comparison  of  this  nature  that  one  can 
make  with  respect  to  these  parts  is  that  some 
Cistercian  monastery  has  become  a  "  wine- 
chateau  "  like  the  Clos  Vougeot  or  Beaune's 
Hospice  or  Hotel  Dieu,  which,  in  truth,  at  cer- 
tain periods,  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a 
great  wholesale  wine-shop. 

Mediaeval  French  towns,  as  well  in  Burgundy 
as  elsewhere,  were  invariably  built  up  on  one 
of  three  plans.  The  first  was  an  outgrowth  of 
the  remains  and  debris  of  a  more  ancient  Gaul- 
ish or  Eoman  civilization,  and  purely  civic  and 
secular.  The  second  class  of  community  came 
as  a  natural  ally  of  some  great  abbey,   sei- 


10  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

gneurial  chateau,  really  a  fortress  or  an  episco- 
pal foundation  which  demanded  freedom  from 
molestation  as  its  undeniable  right.  It  was  in 
such  latter  places  that  the  bishops  and  abbes 
held  forth  with  a  magnificence  and  splendour 
of  surroundings  scarcely  less  imposing  than 
that  of  royalty  itself,  though  their  domains 
were  naturally  more  restricted  in  area  and  the 
powers  that  the  prelates  wielded  were  often  no 
less  powerful  than  their  militant  neighbours. 
The  third  class  of  media?val  settlements  were 
the  villes-neuves,  or  the  villes-f ranches,  a  class 
of  communities  usually  exempt  from  the  exac- 
tions of  seigneurs  and  churchmen  alike,  a  class 
of  towns  readily  recognized  by  their  nomen- 
clature. 

By  the  sixteenth  century  the  soil  of  France 
was  covered  with  a  myriad  of  residential  cha- 
teaux which  were  the  admiration  and  en\y  of 
the  lords  of  all  nations.  There  had  sprung  up 
beside  the  old  feudal  fortresses  a  splendid  gal- 
axy of  luxurious  dwellings  having  more  the  air 
of  domesticity  than  of  warfare,  which  was  the 
chief  characteristics  of  their  predecessors.  It 
was  then  that  the  word  chateau  came  to  sup- 
plant that  of  chastel  in  the  old-time  chronicles. 

Richelieu  and  the  Fronde  destroyed  many  a 
mediasval  fane  whose  ruins  were  afterwards  re- 


The  Realm  of  the  Burgundians      11 

built  by  some  later  seigneur  into  a  Renaissance 
palace  of  great  splendour.  The  Italian  builder 
lent  his  aid  and  his  imported  profusion  of  de- 
tail until  there  grew  up  all  over  France  a  dis- 
tinct variety  of  dwelling  which  quite  outdis- 
tanced anything  that  had  gone  before.  This 
was  true  in  respect  to  its  general  plan  as  well 
as  with  regard  to  the  luxury  of  its  decorative 
embellishments.  Fortresses  were  razed  or  re- 
modelled, and  the  chateau  —  the  French  cha- 
teau as  we  know  it  to-day,  distinct  from  the 
chastel  —  then  first  came  into  being. 

Any  review  of  the  castle,  chateau  and  palace 
architecture  of  France,  and  of  the  historic  inci- 
dent and  the  personages  connected  therewith, 
is  bound  to  divide  itself  into  a  geographical  or 
climatic  category.  To  begin  with  the  manner 
of  building  of  the  southland  was  only  trans- 
planted in  northern  soil  experimentally,  and  it 
did  not  always  take  root  so  vigorously  that  it 
was  able  to  live. 

The  Renaissance  glories  of  Touraine  and  the 
valley  of  the  Loire,  though  the  outcome  of  vari- 
ous Italian  pilgrimages,  were  of  a  more  florid 
and  whimsical  fashioning  than  anything  in  Italy 
itself,  either  at  the  period  of  their  inception  or 
even  later,  and  so  they  are  to  be  considered  as 
something  distinctly  French,  —  indeed,  it  was 


12  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

their  very  influence  which  was  to  radiate  all 
over  the  chateau-building  world  of  the  four- 
teenth, fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries. 

By  contrast,  the  square  and  round  donjon 
towers  of  the  fortress-chateaux  —  like  Arques, 
Falais  and  Coucy  —  were  more  or  less 
an  indigenous  growth  taking  their  plan  from 
nothing  alien.  Midi  and  the  centre  of  France, 
Provence,  the  Pyrenees  and  the  valleys  of  the 
Rhone  and  Saone,  gave  birth,  or  development, 
to  still  another  variety  of  mediaeval  architecture 
both  military  and  domestic,  whilst  the  Ehine 
provinces  developed  the  species  along  still  other 
constructional  lines. 

There  was,  to  be  sure,  a  certain  reminiscence, 
or  repetition  of  common  details  among  all  ex- 
tensive works  of  mediaeval  building,  but  they 
existed  only  by  s.ufferance  and  were  seldom  in- 
corporated as  constructive  elements  beyond  the 
fact  that  towers  were  square  or  round,  and  that 
the  most  elaborately  planned  chateaux  were 
built  around  an  inner  courtyard,  or  were  sur- 
rounded by  a  fosse,  or  moat. 

In  Burgundy  and  the  Bourbonnais,  and  to 
some  extent  in  the  Nivernais,  there  grew  up  a 
distinct  method  of  castle-building  which  was 
only  allied  with  the  many  other  varieties  scat- 
tered over  France  in  the  sense  that  the  fabrics 


The  Realm  of  the  Burgundians      13 

were  intended  to  serve  the  same  purposes  as 
their  contemporaries  elsewhere.  The  solid 
square  shafts  flanking  a  barbican  gate,  —  the 
same  general  effect  observable  of  all  fortified 
towns,  —  the  profuse  use  of  heavy  Renaissance 
sculpture  in  town  houses,  the  interpolated 
Flemish-Gothic  (seen  so  admirably  at  Beaune 
and  Dijon),  and  above  all,  the  Burgundian 
school  of  sculptured  figures  and  figurines  were 
details  which  flowered  hereabouts  as  they  did 
nowhere  else. 

So  far  as  the  actual  numbers  of  the  edifices 
go  it  is  evident  that  throughout  Burgundy  ec- 
clesiastical architecture  developed  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  more  luxuriously  endowed  ci\^c 
and  domestic  varieties  of  Touraine,  which,  we 
can  not  deny,  must  ever  be  considered  the  real 
*'  chateaux  country."  In  Touraine  the  splen- 
dour of  ecclesiastical  building  took  a  second 
place  to  that  of  the  domestic  dwelling,  or  coun- 
try or  town  house. 

For  the  most  part,  the  Romanesque  domestic 
edifice  has  disappeared  throughout  Burgundy. 
Only  at  Cluny  are  there  any  very  considerable 
remains  of  the  domestic  architecture  of  the 
Romans,  and  even  here  there  is  nothing  veiy 
substantial,  no  tangible  reminder  of  the  palace 
of  emperor  or  consul,  only  some  fragments  of 


16  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Khone  or  the  Saone.  The  Ehine  castle  of  our 
imaginations  may  well  stand  for  one  type ;  the 
other  is  best  represented  by  the  great  paral- 
lelogram of  Aigues-Mortes,  or  better  yet  by 
the  walls  and  towers  of  the  Cite  at  Carcas- 
sonne. 

Feudal  chateaux  up  to  the  thirteenth  century 
were  almost  always  constructed  upon  an  emi- 
nence; it  was  only  with  the  beginning  of  this 
epoch  that  the  seigneurs  dared  to  build  a  coun- 
try house  without  the  protection  of  natural  bul- 
warks. 

The  two  types  are  represented  in  this  book, 
those  of  the  plain  and  those  of  the  mountain, 
though  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  it  is  the 
specific  castle-like  edifice,  and  not  the  purely 
residential  chateau  that  often  exists  in  the 
mountainous  regions  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
other  variety.  After  that  comes  the  ornate 
country  house,  in  many  cases  lacking  utterly  the 
defences  which  were  the  invariable  attribute  of 
the  castle.  Miolans  and  Montmelian  in  Savoy 
stand  for  examples  of  the  first  mentioned  class ; 
Chastellux,  Ancy-le-Franc  and  Tanlay  in  Bur- 
gundy for  the  second. 

Examples  of  the  hotels  privees,  the  town 
houses  of  the  seigneurs  who  for  the  most  part 
spent  their  time  in  their  maisons  de  campagne- 


The  Realm  of  the  Burgundians      17 

of  the  large  towns  and  provincial  cities  are  not 
to  be  neglected,  nor  have  they  been  by  the  au- 
thor and  artist  who  have  made  this  book.  As 
examples  may  be  cited  the  Maison  des  Dau- 
phins at  Tour-de-Pin,  that  elaborate  edifice  at 
Paray-le-Monail,  various  examples  at  Dijon 
and  the  svelt,  though  unpretending,  Palais 
des  Granvelle  at  Besangon  in  the  Franche 
Comte. 

To  sum  up  the  chateau  architecture,  and,  to 
be  comprehensive,  all  mediaeval  and  Renaissance 
architecture  in  France,  we  may  say  that  it 
stands  as  something  distinctly  national,  some- 
thing that  has  absorbed  much  of  the  best  of 
other  lands  but  which  has  been  fused  with  the 
ingenious  daring  of  the  Gaul  into  a  style  which 
later  went  abroad  to  all  nations  of  the  globe  as 
something  distinctly  French.  It  matters  little 
whether  proof  of  this  be  sought  in  Touraine, 
Burgundy  or  Poitou,  for  while  each  may  pos- 
sess their  eccentricities  of  style,  and  excellen- 
cies as  varied  as  their  climates,  all  are  to-day 
distinctly  French,  and  must  be  so  considered 
from  their  inception. 

Among  these  master  works  which  go  to  give 
glory  and  renown  to  French  architecture  are 
not  only  the  formidable  castles  and  luxurious 
chateaux   of  kings   and  princes   but   also   the 


18  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy- 
great  civic  palaces  and  military  works  of  con- 
temporary epochs,  for  these,  in  many  instances, 
combined  the  functions  of  a  royal  dwelling  with 
their  other  condition. 


CHAPTER    II 

IN    THE    VALLEY    OF    THE   YONNE 

There  is  no  more  charming  river  valley  in 
all  France  tlian  tliat  of  tlie  Yonne,  which  wan- 
ders from  mid- Burgundy  down  to  join  the  Seine 
just  above  Fontainebleau  and  the  artists' 
haunts  of  Moret  and  Montigny. 

The  present  day  Departement  of  the  Yonne 
was  carved  out  of  a  part  of  the  old  Senonais 
and  Auxerrois;  the  latter,  a  Burgnndian  fief, 
and  the  former,  a  tiny  countship  under  the 
suzerainty  of  the  Counts  of  Champagne.  Man- 
ners and  customs,  and  art  and  architecture, 
however,  throughout  the  department  favour 
Burgundy  in  the  south  rather  than  the  northern 
influences  which  radiated  from  the  lie  de 
France.  This  is  true  not  only  with  respect  to 
ecclesiastical,  civic  and  military  architecture, 
but  doubly  so  with  the  domestic  varieties  rang- 
ing from  the  humble  cottage  to  the  more 
ambitious  manoirs  and  gentilshommeries ,  and 
finally,  to  the  still  more  magnificent  seigneurial 
chateaux.  Within  the  confines  of  this  area  are 
some  of  the  most  splendid  examples  extant  of 

19 


20  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Burgundian  domestic  architecture  of  the  Re- 
naissance period. 

The  Yonne  is  sing-ularly  replete  Tvith  feudal 
memories  and  monuments  as  well.  One  re- 
marks this  on  all  sides,  whether  one  enters  di- 
rect from  Paris  or  from  the  east  or  west.  From 
the  Morvan  and  the  Gatinais  down  through  the 
Auxerrois,  the  Tonnerrois  and  the  fipoisses  is 
a  definite  sequence  of  architectural  monuments 
which  in  a  very  remarkable  way  suggest  that 
they  were  the  outgrowth  of  a  distinctly  Bur- 
gundian manner  of  building,  something  quite 
different  from  anything  to  be  seen  elsewhere. 

In  the  ninth  century,  when  the  feudality  first 
began  to  recognize  its  full  administrative  pow- 
ers, the  local  counts  of  the  valley  of  the  Tonne 
were  deputies  merely  who  put  into  motion  the 
machinery  designed  by  the  nobler  powers,  the 
royal  vassals  of  the  powerful  fiefs  of  Auxerre, 
Sens,  Tonnerre  and  Avallon.  The  actual  lease 
of  life  of  these  greater  powers  varied  consid- 
erably according  to  the  individual  fortunes  of 
their  seigneurs,  but  those  of  Joigny  and  Ton- 
nerre endured  until  1789,  and  the  latter  is  in- 
corporated into  a  present  day  title  which  even 
red  republicanism  has  not  succeeded  in  wiping 
out. 

The  real  gateway  to  the  Yonne  valley  is  prop- 


In  the  Valley  of  the  Yonne         21 

erly  enough  Sens,  but  Sens  itself  is  Uttle  or 
nothing  Burgundian  with  respect  to  its  archi- 
tectural glories  in  general.  Its  Salle  Synodale 
is  the  one  example  which  is  distinct  from  the 
northern  born  note  which  shows  so  plainly  in 
the  tower  and  facade  of  its  great  cathedral; 
mostly  Sens  is  reminiscent  of  the  sway  and 
tastes  of  the  royal  Bourbons. 

A  few  leagues  south  of  Sens  the  aspect  of  all 
things  changes  precipitately.  At  Villeneuve- 
sur- Yonne  one  takes  a  gigantic  step  backward 
into  the  shadow^'  past.  "Whether  or  no  he  ar- 
rives by  the  screeching  railway  or  the  scorch- 
ing automobile  of  the  twentieth  century,  from 
the  moment  he  passes  the  feudal-built  gateway 
which  spans  the  main  street  —  actually  the 
great  national  highway  which  links  Paris 
with  the  Swiss  and  Italian  frontiers  —  and 
gazes  up  at  its  battlemented  crest,  he  is  trans- 
ported into  the  realms  of  romance.  Travellers 
there  are,  perhaps,  who  might  prefer  to  arrive 
on  foot,  but  there  are  not  many  such  passionate 
pilgrims  who  would  care  to  do  this  thing  to- 
day. They  had  much  better,  however,  adopt 
even  this  mode  of  travel  should  no  other  be 
available,  for  at  Villeneuve  there  are  many  aids 
in  conjuring  up  the  genuine  old-time  spirit  of 
things. 


22  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

At  the  opposite  end  of  this  long  main  street 
is  yet  another  great  barbican  gate,  the  twin  of 
that  at  the  northerly  end.  Together  they  form 
the  sole  remaining  vestiges  of  the  rampart 
which  enclosed  the  old  Villeneuve-le-Eoi,  the 
title  borne  by  the  town  of  old.  Yet  despite  such 
notable  landmarks,  there  are  literally  thousands 
of  stranger  tourists  who  rush  by  Villeneuve  by 
road  and  rail  in  a  season  and  give  never  so 
much  as  a  thought  or  a  glance  of  the  eye 
to  its  wonderful  scenic  and  romantic  splen- 
dours ! 

Before  1163  Villeneuve  was  known  as  Villa- 
Longa,  after  its  original  Eoman  nomenclature, 
but  a  newer  and  grander  city  grew  up  on  the 
old  emplacement  with  fortification  walls  and 
towers  and  gates,  built  at  the  orders  of 
Louis  VII.  It  was  then  that  it  came  to  be 
known  as  the  king's  own  city  and  was  called 
Villeneuve-le-Roi.  By  a  special  charter  granted 
at  this  time  Villeneuve,  like  Lorris  on  the  banks 
of  the  Loire,  was  given  unusual  privileges 
which  made  it  exempt  from  Crown  taxes,  and 
allowed  the  inhabitants  to  hunt  and  fish  freely 
—  feudal  favours  which  were  none  too  readily 
granted  in  those  days.  Louis  himself  gave  the 
new  city  the  name  of  Villa-Francia-Regia,  but 
the  name  was  soon  corrupted  to  Villeneuve-le- 


In  the  Valley  of  the  Yonne         23 

Eoi.     For  many  years  the  city  served  as  the 
chief  Burgundian  outpost  in  the  north. 

The  great  tower,  or  citadel,  a  part  of  the 
royal  chateau  where  the  king  lodged  on  his 
brief  visits  to  his  pet  cit}',  was  intended  at  once 
to  ser\'e  as  a  fortress  and  a  s\Tnbol  of  dignity, 
and  it  played  the  double  i^art  admirably.  At- 
tached to  this  tower  on  the  north  was  the  Royal 
Chateau  de  Salles,  a  favourite  abode  of  the 
royalties  of  the  thirteenth  century.  Little  or 
nothing  of  this  dwelling  remains  to-day  save 
the  walls  of  the  chapel,  and  here  and  there  an 
expanse  of  wall  built  up  into  some  more  humble 
edifice,  but  still  recognizable  as  once  having 
possessed  a  greater  dignity.  There  are  various 
fragmentary  foundation  walls  of  old  towers  and 
other  dependencies  of  the  chateau,  and  the  old 
ramparts  cropping  out  here  and  there,  but  there 
is  no  definitely  formed  building  of  a  sufficiently 
commanding  presence  to  warrant  rank  as  a  his- 
torical monument  of  the  quality  required  by  the 
governmental  authorities  in  order  to  have  its- 
patronage  and  protection. 

Philippe-Auguste,  in  1204,  assembled  here  a 
parliament  where  the  celebrated  ordonnance 
**  Stabilementum  Feudorum  "  was  framed. 
This  alone  is  enough  to  make  Villeneuve  stand 
out  large  in  the  annals  of  feudalism,  if  indeed 


22  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

At  the  opposite  end  of  this  long  main  street 
is  yet  another  great  barbican  gate,  the  twin  of 
that  at  the  northerly  end.  Together  they  form 
the  sole  remaining  vestiges  of  the  rampart 
which  enclosed  the  old  Villeneuve-le-Eoi,  the 
title  borne  by  the  town  of  old.  Yet  despite  such 
notable  landmarks,  there  are  literally  thousands 
of  stranger  tourists  who  rush  by  Villeneuve  by 
road  and  rail  in  a  season  and  give  never  so 
much  as  a  thought  or  a  glance  of  the  eye 
to  its  wonderful  scenic  and  romantic  splen- 
dours ! 

Before  1163  Villeneuve  was  known  as  Villa- 
Longa,  after  its  original  Roman  nomenclature, 
but  a  newer  and  grander  city  grew  up  on  the 
old  emplacement  with  fortification  walls  and 
towers  and  gates,  built  at  the  orders  of 
Louis  VII.  It  was  then  that  it  came  to  be 
known  as  the  king's  own  city  and  was  called 
Villeneuve-le-Eoi.  By  a  special  charter  granted 
at  this  time  Villeneuve,  like  Lorris  on  the  banks 
of  the  Loire,  was  given  unusual  privileges 
which  made  it  exempt  from  Crown  taxes,  and 
allowed  the  inhabitants  to  hunt  and  fish  freely 
—  feudal  favours  which  were  none  too  readily 
granted  in  those  days.  Louis  himself  gave  the 
new  city  the  name  of  Villa-Francia-Regia,  but 
the  name  was  soon  corrupted  to  Villeneuve-le- 


In  the  Valley  of  the  Yonne         23 

Koi.     For  many  years  the  city  served  as  the 
chief  Burgundian  outpost  in  the  north. 

The  great  tower,  or  citadel,  a  part  of  the 
royal  chateau  where  the  king  lodged  on  his 
brief  visits  to  his  pet  city,  was  intended  at  once 
to  serve  as  a  fortress  and  a  s\Tnbol  of  dignity, 
and  it  played  the  double  part  admirably.  At- 
tached to  this  tower  on  the  north  was  the  Royal 
Chateau  de  Salles,  a  favourite  abode  of  the 
royalties  of  the  thirteenth  century.  Little  or 
nothing  of  this  dwelling  remains  to-day  save 
the  walls  of  the  chapel,  and  here  and  there  an 
expanse  of  wall  built  up  into  some  more  humble 
edifice,  but  still  recognizable  as  once  having 
possessed  a  greater  digTiity.  There  are  various 
fragmentary  foundation  walls  of  old  towers  and 
other  dependencies  of  the  chateau,  and  the  old 
ramparts  cropping  out  here  and  there,  but  there 
is  no  definitely  formed  building  of  a  sufficiently 
commanding  presence  to  warrant  rank  as  a  his- 
torical monument  of  the  quality  required  by  the 
governmental  authorities  in  order  to  have  its- 
patronage  and  protection. 

Philippe-Auguste,  in  1204,  assembled  here  a 
parliament  where  the  celebrated  ordonnance 
**  Stabilementum  Feudorum  "  was  framed. 
This  alone  is  enough  to  make  Villeneuve  stand 
out  large  in  the  annals  of  feudalism,  if  indeed 


24  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy- 
no  monuments  whatever  existed  to  bring  it  to 
mind.  It  was  the  code  by  which  the  entire 
machinery  of  French  feudalism  was  put  into 
motion  and  kept  in  running  order,  and  for  this 
reason  the  Chateau  de  Salles,  where  the  king 
was  in  residence  when  he  gave  his  hand  and  seal 
to  the  document,  should  occupy  a  higher  place 
than  it  usually  does.  The  Chateau  de  Salles 
was  called  "  royal  "  in  distinction  to  the  usual 
seigneurial  chateau  which  was  merely  ' '  noble. ' ' 
It  was  not  so  much  a  permanent  residence  of 
the  French  monarchs  as  a  sort  of  a  rest-house 
on  the  way  down  to  their  Burgundian  posses- 
sion after  they  had  become  masters  of  the 
duchy.  The  donjon  tower  that  one  sees  to-day 
is  the  chief,  indeed  the  only  definitely  defined, 
fragment  of  this  once  royal  chateau  which  still 
exists,  but  it  is  sufficiently  impressive  and  grand 
in  its  proportions  to  suggest  the  magnitude  of 
the  entire  fabric  as  it  must  once  have  been,  and 
for  that  reason  is  all-sufficient  in  its  appeal  to 
the  romantic  and  historic  sense. 

Situated  as  it  was  on  the  main  highway  be- 
tween Paris  and  Dijon,  Villeneuve  occupied  a 
most  important  strategic  position.  It  spanned 
this  old  Eoute  Royale  with  its  two  city  gates, 
and  its  ramparts  stretched  out  on  either  side  in 
a  determinate  fashion  which  allowed  no  one  to 


In  the  Valley  of  the  Yonne         25 

enter  or  pass  through  it  that  might  not  be  wel- 
come. These  graceful  towered  gateways  which 
exist  even  to-day  were  the  models  from  which 
many  more  of  their  kind  were  built  in  other 
parts  of  the  royal  domain,  as  at  Magny-en- 
Vexin,  at  Moret-sur-Loiug,  and  at  Macon. 

A  dozen  kilometres  from  Villeneuve-sur- 
Yonne  is  Joigny,  almost  entirely  surrounded  by 
a  beautiful  wildwood,  the  Foret  National  de 
Joigny.  Joigny  was  one  of  the  last  of  the  local 
fiefs  to  give  up  its  ancient  rights  and  privileges. 
The  fief  took  rank  as  a  Vicomte.  Jeanne  de 
Valois  founded  a  hospice  here  —  the  predeces- 
sor of  the  present  Hotel  Dieu  —  and  the  Cardi- 
nal de  Gondi  of  unworthy  fame  built  the  local 
chateau  in  the  early  seventeenth  century. 

The  Chateau  de  Joigny,  as  became  its  digni- 
fied state,  was  nobly  endowed,  having  been 
built  to  the  Cardinal's  orders  by  the  Italian 
Serlio  in  1550-1613.  To-day  the  structure 
serves  the  functions  of  a  schoolhouse  and  is 
little  to  be  remarked  save  that  one  hunts  it  out 
knowing  its  history. 

There  is  this  much  to  say  for  the  schoolhouse- 
chateau  at  Joigny ;  it  partakes  of  the  construct- 
ive and  decorative  elements  of  the  genuine  local 
manner  of  building  regardless  of  its  Italian 
origin,  and  here,  as  at  Villeneuve,  there  is  a  dis- 


26  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

tinct  element  of  novelty  in  all  domestic  archi- 
tecture which  is  quite  different  from  the  varie- 
ties to  be  remarked  a  little  further  north. 
There,  the  town  houses  are  manifestly  town 
houses,  but  at  Joigny,  as  often  as  not,  when  they 
advance  beyond  the  rank  of  the  most  hmnble, 
they  partake  somewhat  of  the  attributes  of  a 
castle  and  somewhat  of  those  of  a  palace.  This 
is  probably  because  the  conditions  of  life  have 
become  easier,  or  because,  in  general,  wealth, 
even  in  medireval  times,  was  more  evenly  dis- 
tributed. Certainly  the  noblesse  here,  as  we 
know,  was  more  numerous  than  in  many  other 
sections. 

Any  one  of  a  score  of  Joigny's  old  Renais- 
sance houses,  which  line  its  main  street  and  the 
immediate  neighbourhood  of  its  market-place, 
is  suggestive  of  the  opulent  life  of  the  sei- 
gneurs of  old  to  almost  as  great  a  degree  as  the 
Gondi  chateau  which  has  now  become  the  £Jcole- 
Coimnunal. 

Of  all  Joigny's  architectural  beauties  of  the 
past  none  takes  so  high  a  rank  as  its  magnificent 
Gothic  church  of  Saint  Jean,  whose  vaultings 
are  of  the  most  remarkable  known.  Since  the 
ruling  seigneur  at  the  time  the  church  was  re- 
built was  a  churclmaan,  this  is  perhaps  readily 
enough  accounted  for.     It  demonstrates,  too. 


In  the  Valley  of  the  Yonne         27 

the  intimacy  with  which  the  affairs  of  church 
and  state  were  bound  together  in  those  days. 
A  luxurious  local  chateau  of  the  purely  resi- 
dential order,  not  a  fortress,  demanded  a 
worthy  neighbouring  church,  and  the  seigneur, 
whether  or  not  he  himself  was  a  churchman, 
often  worked  hand  in  hand  with  the  local  prel- 
ate to  see  that  the  same  was  supplied  and  em- 
bellished in  a  worthy  manner.  This  is  evident 
to  the  close  observer  wherever  he  may  rest  on 
his  travels  throughout  the  old  French  prov- 
inces, and  here  at  Joigny  it  is  notably  to  be  re- 
marked. 

Saint  Fargeau,  in  the  Commune  of  Joigny,  is 
unknown  by  name  and  situation  to  the  majority, 
but  for  a  chateau-town  it  may  well  be  classed 
with  many  better,  or  at  least  more  popularly, 
known.  On  the  principal  place,  or  square,  rises 
a  warm-coloured  winsome  fabric  which  is  the 
very  quintessence  of  medifcvalism.  It  is  a  more 
or  less  battered  relic  of  the  tenth  century,  and 
is  built  in  a  rosy  brick,  a  most  unusual  method 
of  construction  for  its  time. 

The  history  of  the  Chateau  de  Saint  Fargeau 
has  been  most  momentous,  its  former  dwellers 
therein  taking  rank  with  the  most  noble  and 
influential  of  the  old  regime.  Jacques  Coeur, 
the  celebrated  silversmith  of  Bourges  and  the 


28  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

intimate  of  Charles  VII,  Mademoiselle  de  Mont- 
pensier,  and  the  leader  of  the  Convention  — 
Lepelletier  de  Saint  Fargeau  —  all  lived  for  a 
time  within  its  walls,  to  mention  only  three  who 
have  made  romantic  history,  though  widely  dis- 
similar were  their  stations. 

An  ornate  park  with  various  decorative  de- 
pendencies surrounds  the  old  chateau  on  three 
sides  and  the  ensemble  is  as  undeniably  theatri- 
cal as  one  could  hope  to  find  in  the  real.  In 
general  the  aspect  is  grandiose  and  it  can  read- 
ily enough  be  counted  as  one  of  the  *'  show- 
chateaux  "  of  France,  and  would  be  were  it 
better  known. 

Mile,  de  Montpensier  —  * '  la  Grande  Made- 
moiselle "  —  was  chatelaine  of  Saint  Fargeau 
in  the  mid-seventeenth  century.  Her  comings 
and  goings,  to  and  from  Paris,  were  ever  writ- 
ten down  at  length  in  court  chronicles  and  many 
were  the  ''incidents  "  —  to  give  them  a  mild 
definition  —  which  happened  here  in  the  valley 
of  the  Yonne  which  made  good  reading.  On 
one  occasion  when  Mademoiselle  quitted  Paris 
for  Saint  Fargeau  she  came  in  a  modest  ^'  ca- 
rosse  sa7is  amies."  It  was  for  a  fact  a  sort 
of  sub-rosa  sortie,  but  the  historian  was  discreet 
on  this  occasion.  Travel  in  the  old  days  had 
not  a  little  of  romanticism  about  it,  but  for  a 


'3 


tt 

^ 


u 


In  the  Valley  of  the  Yonne         29 

lady  of  quality  to  travel  thus  was,  at  the  time, 
a  thing  unheard  of.  This  princess  of  blood 
royal  thus,  for  once  in  her  life,  travelled  like  a 
plebeian. 

Closely  bound  up  with  the  Sennonais  were  the 
fiefs  of  Auxerre  and  Tonnerre,  whose  capitals 
are  to-day  of  that  class  of  important  provincial 
cities  of  the  third  rank  which  play  so  great  a 
part  in  the  economic  affairs  of  modern  France. 
But  their  present  commercial  status  should  by 
no  means  discount  their  historic  pasts,  nor  their 
charm  for  the  lover  of  old  monuments,  since 
evidences  remain  at  every  street  corner  to  re- 
mind one  that  their  origin  was  in  the  days  when 
knights  were  bold.  The  railway  has  since  come, 
followed  by  electric  lights  and  automobiles,  all 
of  which  are  once  and  again  found  in  curious 
juxtaposition  with  a  bit  of  mediaeval  or  Renais- 
sance architecture,  in  a  manner  that  is  surpris- 
ing if  not  shocking.  Regardless  of  the  apparent 
modernity  roundabout,  however,  there  is  still 
enough  of  the  glamour  of  mediasvalism  left  to 
subdue  the  garishness  of  twentieth  century  in- 
novations. All  this  makes  the  charm  of  French 
travel,  —  this  unlocked  for  combination  of  the 
new  and  the  old  that  one  so  often  meets.  One 
can  not  find  just  this  same  sort  of  thing  at 
Paris,  nor  on  the  Ri^dera,  nor  an>nvhere,  in 


30  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

fact,  except  in  these  minor  capitals  of  the  old 
French  provinces. 

The  Comte  d'Auxerre  was  created  in  1094  by 
the  Eoi  Eobert,  vrho,  after  the  reunion  of  the 
Burgnndian  kingdom  with  the  French  monar- 
chy, gave  it  to  Eenaud,  Comte  de  Xevers,  as  the 
dot  of  one,  Adelais,  who  may  have  been  his 
sister,  or  his  cousin  —  history  is  not  precise. 
The  house  of  Xevers  possessed  the  countship 
until  1182,  when  it  came  to  Archambaud,  the 
ninth  of  the  name,  Sire  de  Bourbon.  One  of 
his  heirs  married  a  son  of  the  Due  de  Bour- 
gogne  and  to  him  brought  the  county  of  Aux- 
erre,  which  thus  became  Burgundian  in  fact. 
Later  it  took  on  a  separate  entity  again,  or 
rather,  it  allied  itself  with  the  Comtes  de  Ton- 
nerre  at  a  price  paid  in  and  out  of  hand,  it  must 
not  be  neglected  to  state,  of  144,400  I'lvres  Toiir- 
nois.  The  crown  of  France,  through  the  Comtes 
d'Auxerre,  came  next  into  possession,  but 
Charles  VII,  under  the  treaty  of  Arras,  ceded 
the  countship  in  turn  to  Philippe-le-Bon,  Due  de 
Bourgogne.  Definite  alliance  with  the  royal 
domain  came  under  Louis  XI,  thus  the  prov- 
ince remained  until  the  Revolution. 

TVith  such  a  history  small  wonder  it  is  that 
Auxerre  has  preserved  more  than  fleeting  mem- 
ories of  its  past.     Of  great  civic  and  domestic 


In  the  Valley  of  the  Yonne         31 

establishments  of  medirevalism,  Auxerre  is 
poverty-stricken  nevertheless.  The  Episcopal 
Palace,  now  the  Prefecture,  is  the  most  impo- 
sing edifice  of  its  class,  and  is  indeed  a  worthy 
thing  from  every  view-point.  It  has  a  covered 
loggia,  or  gallery  running  along  its  fagade,  ma- 
king one  think  that  it  was  built  by,  or  for,  an 
Italian,  which  is  not  improbable,  since  it  was 
conceived  under  the  ministership  of  Cardinal 
Mazarin  who  would,  could  he  have  had  his  way, 
have  made  all  things  French  take  on  an  Italian 
hue.  From  this  loggia  there  is  a  wide-spread, 
distant  view  of  the  broad  valley  of  the  Yonne 
which  here  has  widened  out  to  considerable  pro- 
portions. The  history  of  this  Prefectural  pal- 
ace of  to-day,  save  as  it  now  serves  its  pur- 
pose as  a  governmental  administrative  build- 
ing, is  wholly  allied  with  that  of  Auxerre 's  mag- 
nificent cathedral  and  its  battery  of  sister 
churches. 

Within  the  edifice,  filled  with  clerks  and  offi- 
cials in  every  cranny,  all  busy  writing  out  docu- 
ments by  hand  and  clogging  the  wheels  of  prog- 
ress as  much  as  inefficiency  can,  are  still  found 
certain  of  its  ancient  furnishings  and  fittings. 
The  great  Salle  des  Audiences  is  still  intact  and 
is  a  fine  example  of  thirteenth  century  wood- 
work.   The  wainscotting  of  its  walls  and  ceiling 


32  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

is  remarkably  worked  vdih.  a  finesse  of  detail 
that  would  be  hard  to  duplicate  to-day  except 
at  the  expense  of  a  lord  of  finance  or  a  king  of 
petrol.  Xot  even  government  contractors,  no 
matter  what  price  they  are  paid,  could  presume 
to  supply  anything  half  so  fine. 

It  was  at  Auxerre  that  the  art  and  craft  of 
building  noble  edifices  developed  so  highly 
among  churchmen.  The  builders  of  the  twelfth 
century  were  not  only  often  monks  but  church- 
men of  rank  as  well.  They  occupied  themselves 
not  only  with  ecclesiastical  architecture,  but 
with  painting  and  sculpture.  One  of  the  first 
of  these  clerical  master-builders  was  Geoffroy, 
Bishop  of  Auxerre,  and  three  of  his  prebend- 
aries were  classed  respectively  as  painters, 
glass-setters  and  metal-workers. 

The  towering  structure  on  the  Place  du 
Marche  is  to-day  Auxerre 's  nearest  approach  to 
a  chateau  of  the  romantic  age,  and  this  is  only 
a  mere  tower  to-day,  a  fragment  left  behind  of 
a  more  extensive  residential  and  fortified  cha- 
teau which  served  its  double  purpose  well  in  its 
time.  It  is  something  more  than  a  mere  belfry, 
or  clock  tower,  however.  It  is  called  the  Tour 
Gaillarde,  and  flanked  at  one  time  the  principal 
breach  in  the  rampart  wall  which  surrounded 
the  city.    It  is  one  of  the  finest^specimens  of  its 


Tour  Giiilldrdc,  Anxcrrc 


In  the  Valley  of  the  Yonne         33 

class  extant,  and  is  more  than  the  rival  of  the 
great  Tour  de  I'Horloge  at  Rouen  or  the  pair 
of  towers  over  which  conventional  tourists  rave, 
as  they  do  over  the  bears  in  the  bear-pit,  at 
Berne  in  Switzerland. 

The  entire  edifice,  the  tower  and  that  portion 
which  has  disappeared,  formed  originally  the 
residence  of  the  governor  of  the  place,  the  per- 
sonal representative  of  the  counts  who  them- 
selves, in  default  of  a  special  residence  in  their 
capital,  were  forced  to  lodge  therein  on  their 
seemingly  brief  visits.  The  names  of  the  counts 
of  Tonnerre  and  Auxerre  appear  frequently  in 
the  historical  chronicles  of  their  time,  but  refer- 
ences to  their  doings  lead  one  to  think  that  they 
chiefly  idled  their  time  away  at  Paris.  That 
this  great  tower  made  a  part  of  some  sort  of 
a  fortified  dwelling  there  is  no  doubt,  but  that 
it  was  ever  a  part  of  a  seigneurial  chateau  is 
not  so  certain. 

With  respect  to  the  part  Auxerre  played  in 
the  military  science  of  the  middle  ages  it  is  in- 
teresting to  recall  that  the  drum,  or  tambour, 
is  claimed  as  of  local  origin,  or  at  least  that 
it  was  here  first  known  in  France,  in  the  four- 
teenth century.  Xo  precise  date  is  given  and 
one  is  inclined  to  think  that  its  use  with  the 
army   of  Edward   III   at   Calais    on   the   3rd 


34  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

August,  1347,  was  really  its  first  appearance 
across  the  Channel  after  all. 

Above  Auxerre  the  Yonne  divides,  or  rather 
takes  to  itself  the  Armangon  and  the  Seruin  to 
swell  its  bulk  as  it  flows  down  through  the 
Auxerrois.  Above  lies  the  Avallonnais,  where 
another  race  of  seigneurs  contribute  an  alto- 
gether different  series  of  episodes  from  that  of 
their  neighbours.  It  remains  a  patent  fact, 
however,  that  the  cities  and  towns  of  the  valley 
of  the  Yonne  give  one  ample  proof  of  the  close 
alliance  in  manners  and  customs  of  all  mid- 
France  of  mediaeval  times. 

The  inhabitants  of  this  region  are  not  a  race 
apart,  but  are  traditionally  a  blend  of  the 
''  natural  "  Champenois  and  the  ''  frank  and 
loyal  ' '  Burgundian,  — ' '  strictly  keeping  to 
their  promises,  and  with  a  notable  probity  in 
business  affairs,"  says  a  proud  local  histo- 
rian. Here  in  this  delightful  river  valley  were 
bred  and  nourished  the  celebrated  painter, 
Jean-Cousin;  the  illustrious  Vauban,  the 
builder  of  fortresses;  the  enigmatical  Cheva- 
liere  d'Eon;  the  artist  Soufflot,  architect  of  the 
Pantheon;  Eegnault  de  Saint- Jean  d'Angely, 
Minister  of  Napoleon;  Bourrienne,  his  secre- 
tary and  afterwards  Minister  of  State  under 
the  Bourbons. 


In  the  Valley  of  the  Yonne         35 

Following  the  Yonne  still  upwards  towards 
its  source  one  comes  ultimately  to  Clamecy. 
Between  Auxerre  and  Clamecy  the  riverside  is 
strewn  thickly  with  the  remains  of  many  an 
ancient  feudal  fortress  or  later  chateaux.  At 
Mailly-le-Chateau  are  the  very  scanty  frag- 
ments of  a  former  edifice  built  by  the  Comtes 
d 'Auxerre  in  the  fifteenth  century,  and  at 
Chatel-Censoir  is  another  of  the  same  class. 
At  Coulanges-sur-Yonne  is  the  debris,  a  tower 
merely,  of  what  must  one  day  have  been  a  really 
splendid  edifice,  though  even  locally  one  can  get 
no  specific  information  concerning  its  history. 

From  Clamecy  the  highroad  crosses  the 
Bazois  to  Chateau  Chinon  in  the  Xivernais. 
The  name  leads  one  to  imagine  much,  but  of 
chateaux  it  has  none,  though  its  nomenclature 
was  derived  from  the  emplacement  of  an  an- 
cient oppidum  gaiilois,  a  castrum  gallo-romain 
and  later  a  feudal  chateau. 

The  road  on  to  Burgundy  lies  to  the  south- 
west via  the  Avallonnais,  or,  leaving  the  water- 
shed of  the  Yonne  for  that  of  the  upper  Seine, 
via  Tonnerre  and  Chatillon-sur-Seine  lying  to 
the  eastward  of  Auxerre. 


CHAPTEE  ni 

AVALLON,  VEZELAY  AND  CHASTELLUX 

AvALLON  owes  its  origin  to  the  construction 
of  a  chateau- fort.  It  was  built  by  Robert-le- 
Pieux,  the  son  of  Hugues  Capet,  in  the  tenth 
century.  Little  by  little  the  fortress  has  crum- 
bled and  very  nearly  disappeared.  All  that  re- 
mains are  the  foundation  walls  on  what  is  lo- 
cally called  the  Rocher  d'Avallon,  virtually  the 
pedestal  upon  which  sits  the  present  city. 

Avallon,  like  neighbouring  Semur  and  Veze- 
lay,  sits  snugly  and  proudly  behind  its  rampart 
of  nature's  ravines  and  gorges,  a  series  of  mili- 
tary defences  ready-made  which  on  more  than 
one  occasion  in  mediaeval  times  served  their 
purpose  well. 

It  was  in  the  old  Chateau  d'Avallon  that 
Jacques  d'Epailly,  called  '^  Forte  Epice,"  was 
giving  a  great  ball  when  Philippe-le-Bon  be- 
seiged  the  city.  Jacques  treated  the  inhabitants 
with  the  utmost  disrespect,  even  the  ladies,  and 
secretly  quitted  the  ball  just  before  the  city 

36 


Avallon,  Vezelay  and  Chastellux     37 

troops  surrendered.  History  says  that  the 
weak-hearted  gallant  sold  out  to  the  enemy  and 
saved  himself  by  the  back  door,  and  in  spite 
of  no  docmnentary  evidence  to  this  effect  the 
long  arm  of  coincidence  points  to  the  dastardly 
act  in  an  almost  unmistakable  manner. 

Near  Avallon  are  still  to  be  seen  extensive 
Roman  remains.  A  Roman  camp,  the  Camp 
des  Alleux,  celebrated  in  Gaulish  and  Roman 
history,  was  here,  and  the  old  Roman  road 
between  Lyons  and  Boulogne  in  Belgica  Secun- 
dus  passed  near  by. 

It  is  not  so  much  with  reference  to  Avallon 
itself,  quaint  and  picturesque  as  the  city  is,  that 
one's  interest  lies  hereabouts.  More  particu- 
larly it  is  in  the  neighbouring  chateaux  of  Chas- 
tellux and  Montreal. 

The  Seigneur  de  Chastellux  was  one  of  the 
most  powerful  vassals  of  the  Due  de  Bourgogne. 
By  hereditary  custom  the  eldest  of  each  new 
generation  presented  himself  before  the  Bishop 
of  Auxerre  clad  in  a  surplice  covering  his  mili- 
tary accoutrements,  and  wearing  a  falcon  at 
his  wrist.  In  this  garb  he  swore  to  support 
Church  and  State,  and  for  this  devotion  was 
vested  in  the  title  of  Chanoin  d 'Auxerre,  a  title 
which  supposedly  served  him  in  good  stead  in 
case  of  military  disaster.    It  was  thus  that  the 


38  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Marechal  de  Chastellux,  a  famous  warrior,  was, 
as  late  as  1792,  also  a  canon  of  the  cathedral  at 
Auxerre.  It  was,  too,  in  this  grotesque  costume 
that  the  Chanoin-Comte  d 'Chastellux  welcomed 
Louis  XIV  on  a  certain  visit  to  Auxerre.  At 
Auxerre,  in  the  cathedral,  one  sees  a  monument 
commemorative  of  the  Sires  de  Chastellux. 
It  was  erected  by  Cesar  de  Chastellux  under  the 
Restoration,  to  replace  the  tomb  torn  down  by 
the  Chapter  in  the  fifteenth  century.  This  dese- 
cration, by  churchmen  themselves,  one  must  re- 
member, took  place  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  a 
Chastellux  was  even  then  a  dignitary  of  the 
church. 

Chastellux,  beyond  its  magnificent  chateau,  is 
an  indefinable,  unconvincing  little  bourg,  but 
from  the  very  moment  one  sets  foot  within  its 
quaintly  named  Hotel  de  Marechal  de  Chastel- 
lux he,  or  she,  is  permeated  with  the  very  spirit 
of  romance  and  mediaevalism.  The  bridge 
which  crosses  the  Cure  in  the  middle  of  the  vil- 
lage owns  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty  years,  and  is  still  rendering  efficient 
service.  This  is  something  mature  for  a  bridge, 
even  in  France,  where  many  are  doing  their 
daily  work  as  they  have  for  centuries.  Will  the 
modern  ''  suspension  "  affairs  do  as  well? 
That's  what  nobody  knows!    The  hotel,  or  at*- 


Chateau  de  Chastellux 


Avallon,  Vezelay  and  Chastellux     39 

berge  rather,  can  not  be  less  aged  than  the 
bridge,  though  the  manner  in  which  it  is  con- 
ducted is  not  at  all  antiquated. 

A  rocky,  jagged  pedestal,  of  a  height  of  per- 
haps a  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  holds  aloft  the 
fine  mass  of  the  Chateau  de  Chastellux.  For 
eight  centuries  this  fine  old  pile  was  in  the  ma- 
king and,  though  manifestly  non-contemporary 
as  to  its  details,  it  holds  itself  together  in  a  re- 
markably consistent  manner  and  presents  an 
ensemble  and  silhouette  far  more  satisfactory 
to  view  than  many  a  more  popular  historic 
monument  of  its  class.  Its  great  round  towers, 
their  coijffes  and  the  pignons  and  gables  of  the 
roof,  give  it  all  a  cachet  which  is  so  striking  that 
one  forgives,  or  ignores  the  fact  that  it  is  after 
all  a  work  of  various  epochs. 

Visitors  here  are  welcome.  One  may  stroll 
the  corridors  and  apartments,  the  vast  halls 
and  the  courtyard  as  fancy  wills,  except  that 
one  is  always  discreetly  ciceroned  by  a  guardian 
who  may  be  a  man,  a  woman,  or  even  a  small 
child.  There  is  none  of  the  espionage  system 
about  the  surveillance,  however,  and  one  can  but 
feel  welcome.  Blazons  in  stone  and  wood  and 
tapestries  are  ever^^where.  They  are  the  best, 
or  the  worst,  of  their  kind;  one  really  doesn't 
stop  to  think  which;    the  effect  is  undeniably 


40  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

what  one  would  wish,  and  surely  no  carping 
critic  has  any  right  to  exercise  his  functions 
here.  There  is  not  the  least  cause  to  complain 
if  the  furnishings  are  of  non-contemporary 
periods  like  the  exterior  adornments,  because 
the  certain  stamp  of  sincerity  and  genuineness 
over  all  defies  undue  criticism. 

The  Chateau  de  Chastellux  dates,  primarily, 
from  the  thirteenth  century,  with  many  fif- 
teenth, sixteenth  and  seventeenth  century  res- 
torations or  additions  which  are  readily  enough 
to  be  recognized.  From  its  inception,  the  cha- 
teau has  belonged  to  the  family  of  Beauvoir-de- 
Chastellux,  the  cadet  branch  of  Anseric-de- 
Montreal. 

Practically  triangular  in  form,  as  best  served 
its  original  functions  of  a  defensive  habitation, 
this  most  theatrical  of  all  Burgundian  chateaux 
is  flanked  by  four  great  attached  towers.  The 
Tour  de  I'Horloge  is  a  massive  rectangular  pile 
of  the  fifteenth  century;  the  Tour  d'Amboise  is 
a  round  tower  dating  from  1592;  the  Tour  de 
I'Hermitage  and  the  Tour  des  Archives,  each 
of  them  also  round,  are  of  the  sixteenth  century. 
In  the  disposition  and  massiveness  of  these 
towers  alone  the  Chateau  de  Chastellux  is 
unique.  Another  isolated  tower,  even  more 
stupendous  in  its  proportions,  is  known  as  the 


Avallon,  Vezelay  and  Chastellux     41 


Tour  Saiut  Jeau,  and  is  a  doujon  of  the  ideally- 
acceptable  variety,  dating  from  some  period 
anterior  to  the  chateau  proper. 

Moat-surrounded,  the  chateau  is  only  to  be 
entered  by  crossing  an  ornamental  waterway. 
One  arrives  at  the  actual  entrance  by  the  usual 
all-eyed  roadway  ending  at  the  perron  of  the 
chateau  where  a  simple  bell-pull  silently  an- 
nounces the  ways  and  means  of  gaining  en- 
trance. The  domestic  appears  at  once  and  with- 
out questioning  your  right  proceeds  to  do  the 
honours  as  if  it  were  for  yourself  alone  that  the 
place  were  kept  open. 

The  chief  and  most  splendid  apartment  is 
the  Salle  des  Gardes,  to  a  great  extent  restored, 
but  typical  of  the  best  of  fifteenth  century  work- 
manship and  appointments.  Its  chimney-piece, 
as  splendid  in  general  effect  as  any  to  be  seen 
in  the  Loire  chateaux,  is  but  a  re-made  affair, 
but  follows  the  best  traditions  and  encloses 
moreover  fragments  of  fifteenth  century  sculp- 
tures which  are  authentically  of  that  period. 
The  cornice  of  this  majestic  apartment  bears 
the  Chastellux  arms  and  those  of  their  allied 
families,  interwoven  with  the  oft  repeated  in- 
scription, Monreal  a  Sire  de  Chastellux.  In 
this  same  Salle  des  Gardes  are  hung  a  pair  of 
ancient  Gobelins,  and  set  into  the  floor  is  a 


42  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

dainty  morsel  of  an  antique  mosaic  found 
nearby. 

The  modem  billiard-room,  also  shown  to  the 
inquisitive,  contains  portraits  of  the  Chancelier 
d'Aguesseau  and  his  wife,  and  its  fittings  — 
aside  from  the  green  baize  tables  and  their 
accessories  —  are  well  carried  out  after  the 
style  of  Louis  XIII.  Good  taste,  or  bad,  one 
makes  no  comment,  save  to  suggest  that  the 
billiard  tables  look  out  of  place. 

In  what  the  present  dweller  calls  the  Salon 
Rouge  are  portraits  and  souvenirs  of  a  military 
ancestor  Comte  Cesar  de  Chastellux,  who,  judg- 
ing from-  his  dress  and  cast  of  countenance, 
must  have  been  a  warrior  bold  of  the  conven- 
tional type. 

After  the  Salle  des  Gardes  the  Grand  Salon 
is  the  most  effective  apartment.  Its  wall  and 
ceiling  decorations  are  the  same  that  were  com- 
pleted in  1696,  and  incorporated  therein  are 
fourteen  portraits  of  the  Sires  and  Comtes  who 
one  day  lived  and  loved  within  these  castle 
walls.  These  portraits  are  reproductions  of 
others  which  were  destroyed  by  the  unchained 
devils  of  the  French  Revolution  who  made  way 
with  so  much  valuable  documentary  evidence 
from  which  one  might  build  up  French  mediae- 
val history  anew.    The  village  church  contains 


Avallon,  Vezelay  and  Chastellux     43 

several  tombal  monuments  of  the  Chastel- 
lux. 

The  Chateau  de  Montreal,  or  Mout-Royal,  so 
closely  allied  ^^ith  the  fortunes  of  the  Chastel- 
lux, between  Avallon  and  Chastellux,  is  built 
high  on  a  mamelon  overlooking  the  Seruin,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  curious  places  in 
Burgundy.  The  little  town,  of  but  five  hundred 
inhabitants,  is  built  up  mostly  of  the  material 
which  came  from  one  of  the  most  ancient  of  the 
feudal  chateaux  of  mid-France.  This  chateau 
was  originally  a  primitive  fortress,  once  the 
residence  of  Queen  Brunhaut,  the  wife  of  the 
Eoi  d'Austrasie  in  566.  It  was  from  this  hill- 
top residence  that  the  name  Montreal  has  been 
evolved. 

The  sparse  population  of  the  place  were  bene- 
fited by  special  privileges  from  the  earliest 
times  and  the  cite  movenageuse  itself  was  en- 
dowed with  many  admirable  examples  of  ad- 
ministrative and  domestic  architecture. 

Of  the  Renaissance  chateaux  of  the  later 
seigneurs,  here  and  there  many  portions  re- 
main built  into  other  edifices,  but  there  is  no 
single  example  left  which,  as  a  whole,  takes 
definite  shape  as  a  noble  historical  monument. 
There  are  a  dozen  old  Renaissance  house-fronts, 
with  here  and  there  a  supporting  tower  or  wall 


44  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

which  is  unquestionably  of  mediseval  times  and 
might  tell  thrilling  stories  could  stones  but 
speak. 

In  Eenaissance  annals  Montreal  was  cele- 
brated by  the  exploit  of  the  Dame  de  Eagny 
(1590),  who  recaptured  the  place  after  it  had 
been  taken  possession  of  by  the  Ligeurs  during 
the  absence  of  her  husband,  the  governor. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  old  bourg  is  a  great 
gateway  which  originally  led  to  the  seigneurial 
enclosure.  It  is  called  the  Port  d'en  Bas  and 
has  arches  dating  from  the  thirteenth  century. 
Montreal  and  its  Mediaeval  chateau  was  the 
cradle  of  the  Anseric-de-Montreal  family,  who 
were  dispossessed  in  1255  to  the  iDrofit  of  the 
Dues  de  Bourgogne.  It  was  to  the  cadet 
branch  of  this  same  family  Chastellux  once 
belonged. 

To  the  west  lies  Vezelay,  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  conglomerate  piles  of  ancient  ma- 
sonry to  be  seen  in  France  to-day.  It  was  a 
most  luxm'ious  abode  in  mediaeval  times,  and 
its  great  church,  with  its  ornate  portal  and 
fagade,  ranks  as  one  of  the  most  celebrated  in 
Europe. 

Vezelay  is  on  no  well-worn  tourist  track; 
it  is  indeed  chiefly  unknowu  except  to  those  who 


Avallon,  Vezelay  and  Chastellux     45 

know  well  their  ecclesiastical  history.  It  was 
within  this  famous  church  that  Saint  Bernard 
awakened  the  fervour  of  the  Crusade  in  the 
breast  of  Louis-le-Jeune.  The  abbey  church 
saw,  too,  Philippe- AugTiste  and  Richard  Coeur- 
de-Lion  start  for  their  Crusades,  and  even  Saint 
Louis  came  here  before  setting  out  from  Aignes 
Mortes  for  the  land  of  the  Turk.  This  illustri- 
ous church  quite  crushes  anything  else  in  Veze- 
lay by  its  splendour,  but  nevertheless  the  his- 
tory of  its  other  monuments  has  been  great,  and 
the  part  played  by  the  miniscule  city  itself  has 
been  no  less  important  in  more  mundane  mat- 
ters. Its  mediaeval  trading-fairs  were  famous 
throughout  the  provinces  of  all  France,  and 
even  afar. 

In  the  middle  ages  Vezelay  had  a  population 
of  ten  thousand  souls ;  to-day  a  bare  eight  hun- 
dred call  it  their  home  town. 

The  seigneurial  chateau  at  Vezelay  is  hardly 
in  keeping  to-day  with  its  former  proud  estate. 
One  mounts  from  the  lower  town  by  a  winding 
street  lined  on  either  side  by  admirably  con- 
served Renaissance  houses  of  an  unpretentious 
class.  The  chateau,  where  lodged  Louis-le- 
Jeune,  has  embedded  in  its  facade  two  great 
shot  launched  from  Huguenot  cannon  during 


46  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

the  siege  of  1559.    Another  seigneurial  "  hotel 
privee  "  has  over  its  portal  this  inscription: 

"  Comme  Colomhe  humhle  et  simple  seray 
Et  a  mon  nom  mes  mes  mceurs  conformeray ." 

Here  in  opulent  Basse-Bourgogne,  where  the 
vassals  of  a  seigneur  were  often  as  powerful  as 
he,  their  dwellings  were  frequently  quite  as 
splendid  as  the  official  residence  of  the  over- 
lord. It  is  this  genuinely  unspoiled  mediseval 
aspect  of  seemingly  nearly  all  the  houses  of  this 
curious  old  town  of  Vezelay  which  give  the  place 
its  charm. 

The  Porte  Neuve  is  a  great  dependent  tower 
which  formerly  was  attached  to  the  residence 
of  the  governor  —  the  chateau-fort  in  fact  — 
and  it  still  stands  militant  as  of  old,  supported 
on  either  side  by  two  enormous  round  towers 
and  surmounted  by  a  machicoulis  and  a  serrated 
cornice  which  tells  much  of  its  efficiency  as  a 
mediaeval  defence.  To  the  right  are  still  very 
extensive  remains  of  the  fourteenth  and  fif- 
teenth century  ramparts. 

Near  Vezelay  is  the  Chateau  de  Bazoche, 
which  possesses  a  profound  interest  for  the  stu- 
dent of  military  architecture  in  France  by 
reason  of  its  having  been  the  birthplace  of 
Marechal  Vauban,  who  became  so  celebrated  as 


Avallon,  Vezelay  and  Chastellux     47 

a  fortress-builder  that  he,  as  much  as  anybody, 
may  be  considered  the  real  welder  of  modern 
France.  Vauban's  body  is  buried  in  the  local 
churchyard,  but  his  heart  had  the  distinction  of 
being  torn  from  his  body  and  given  a  glori- 
ous ( 2)  burial  along  with  countless  other  frag- 
ments of  military  heroes  in  the  Hotel  des  In- 
valides  at  Paris. 

Bazoches  is  not  a  name  that  is  on  the  tip  of 
the  tongue  of  every  mentor  and  guide  to  French 
history,  though  the  appearance  of  its  chateau 
is  such  that  one  wonders  that  it  is  not  more 
often  cited  by  the  guide-books  which  are  sup- 
posed to  point  out  the  quaint  and  curious  to 
vagabond  travellers.  There  are  many  such  who 
had  rather  worship  at  a  shrine  such  as  this 
than  to  spend  their  time  loitering  about  the  big 
hotels  of  the  flash  resorts  with  which  the  Eu- 
rope of  the  average  tourist  is  becoming  over- 
crowded. Makers  of  guide-books  and  the  mana- 
gers of  tourist  agencies  do  not  seem  to  know 
this. 

Bazoches  is  a  townlet  of  five  hundred  inhabi- 
tants, and  not  one  of  them  cares  whether  you 
come  or  go.  They  do  not  even  marvel  that  the 
chateau  is  the  only  thing  in  the  place  that  ever 
brings  a  stranger  there,  —  they  ignore  the  fact 
that  you  are  there,  so  by  this  reckoning  one  puts 


48  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Bazoches,  the  town  and  the  chateau,  down  as 
something  quite  unspoiled.  Half  the  population 
lives  in  fine  old  Gothic  and  Eenaissance  houses 
which,  to  many  of  us,  used  to  living  under  an- 
other species  of  rooftree,  would  seem  a  palace. 

What  the  Chateau  de  Bazoches  lacks  in  great 
renown  it  makes  up  for  in  imposing  effect. 
Each  angle  meets  in  a  svelt  round  tower  of  the 
typical  picture-book  and  stage-carpenter  fash- 
ion. Each  tower  is  coiffed  with  a  peaked  can- 
dle-snuffer cap  and  a  row  of  machicoulis  which 
gives  the  whole  edifice  a  warlike  look  which  is 
unmistakable.  The  finest  detail  of  all  is  ''La 
Grande  Tour  "  supporting  one  end  of  the  prin- 
ciple mass  of  the  chateau,  and  half  built  into 
the  hillside  which  backs  it  up  on  the  rear. 
Yauban  bought  an  old  feudal  castle  in  1663  and 
added  to  it  after  liis  own  effective  manner,  thus 
making  the  chateau,  as  one  sees  it  to-day,  the 
powerful  bulwark  that  it  is. 

The  chateau  belongs  to-day  to  the  Vibrave 
family,  who  keep  open  house  for  the  visitor  who 
would  see  within  and  without.  The  principle 
apartment  is  entirely  furnished  with  the  same 
belongings  which  ser^^ed  Vauban  for  his  per- 
sonal use. 

Another  neighbouring  chateau,  bearing  also 
the  name   Chateau  de  Vauban,  was   also   the 


Avallon,  Vezelay  and  Chastellux     49 

property  of  the  Marechal.  It  dates  from  the 
sixteenth  century,  and  though  in  no  way  his- 
toric, has  many  architectural  details  worthy  of 
observation  and  remark. 


CHAPTER   IV 

SEMUR-EN-AUXOIS,  EPOISSES  ATTD  BOr-RBILLY 

Due  east  from  Avallon  some  thirty  odd  kilo- 
metres is  Semur-en-Auxois.  It  is  -^ell  described 
as  a  feudal  city  ^tliout  and  a  banal  one  within. 
Its  mediaeval  walls  and  gates  lead  one  to  expect 
the  same  old-world  atmosphere  over  all,  but, 
aside  from  its  churches  and  an  occasional  archi- 
tectural display  of  a  Eenaissance  house-front, 
its  cast  of  countenance,  when  seen  from  its  de- 
cidedly bourgeois  point  of  view,  is,  if  not  mod- 
ern, at  least  matter-of-fact  and  uns^Tni^athetic. 

In  spite  of  this  its  historical  recollections  are 
many  and  varied,  and  there  are  fragments 
galore  of  its  once  proud  architectural  glories 
which  bespeak  their  prime  importance,  and  also 
that  the  vandal  hand  of  so-called  progress  and 
improvement  has  fallen  heavily  on  all  sides. 

The  site  of  Semur  to  a  great  extent  gives  it 
that  far-away  mediaeval  look;  that,  at  least, 
could  not  be  taken  away  from  it.  It  i^ossesses, 
moreover,  one  of  the  most  astonishing  silhou- 

50 


Semur-en-Auxois,  Epoisses,  Bourbilly  51 

ettes  of  any  hill-top  town  in  France.  Like  Con- 
stantine  in  North  Africa  it  is  walled  and  bat- 
tlemented  by  a  series  of  natural  defences  in  the 
form  of  ravines  or  gorges  so  profound  that  cer- 
tainly no  ordinary  invading  force  could  have 
entered  the  city. 

Semur  was  formerly  the  capital  of  the 
Auxois,  and  for  some  time  held  the  same  rank 
in  the  Burgundian  Duchy. 

The  city  from  within  suggests  little  of  mediae- 
valism.  Prosperity  and  contentment  do  not 
make  for  a  picturesque  and  romantic  environ- 
ment of  the  life  of  the  twentieth  century.  It 
was  different  in  the  olden  time.  Semur,  by  and 
large,  is  of  the  age  of  medisevalism,  however, 
though  one  has  to  delve  below  the  surface  to 
discover  this  after  having  passed  the  great 
walls  and  portals  of  its  natural  and  artificial 
ramparts. 

Semur 's  bourg,  donjon  and  chateau,  as  the 
respective  quarters  of  the  town  are  known,  tell 
the  story  of  its  past,  but  they  tell  it  only  by 
suggestion.  The  ancient  fortifications,  as  en- 
tire works,  have  disappeared,  and  the  chateau 
has  become  a  barracks  or  a  hospital.  Only  the 
chateau  donjon  and  immediate  dependencies,  a 
group  of  towering  walls,  rise  grim  and  silent  as 
of  old  above  the  great  arch  of  the  bridge  flung 


52  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

so  daringly  across  the  Armangon  at  the  bottom 
of  the  gorge. 

The  last  proprietor  of  Semur's  chateau  was 
the  Marquis  du  Chatelet,  the  husband  of  the 
even  more  celebrated  Madame  du  Chatelet,  who 
held  so  gi-eat  a  place  in  the  life  of  Voltaire. 
The  philosopher,  it  seems,  resided  here  for  a 
time,  and  his  room  is  still  kept  sacred  and 
shown  to  visitors  upon  application. 

Semur  as  much  as  anything  is  a  reminder  of 
the  past  rather  than  a  living  representation  of 
what  has  gone  before.  Within  the  city  walls 
were  enacted  many  momentous  events  of  state 
while  still  it  was  the  Burgundian  capital. 
Again  during  the  troublous  times  of  the 
''  Ligue,"  ijenri  IV  transferred  to  its  old 
chateau  the  Parliament  which  had  previously 
held  its  sittings  at  Dijon. 

Semur's  monuments  deserved  a  better  fate 
than  has  befallen  them,  for  they  were  magnifi- 
cent and  epoch-making,  if  not  always  from  an 
artistic  point  of  view,  at  least  from  an  historic 
one. 

We  made  Semur  our  headquarters  for  a  little 
journey  to  Slpoisses,  Bourbilly  and  Montbard, 
wliere  formerly  lived  and  died  the  naturalist 
Buffon,  in  the  celebrated  Chateau  de  Montbard. 

fipoisses  lies  but  a  few  kilometres  west  of 


Semur-en-Auxois,  Epoisses,  Eourbilly  53 

Semiir.  Its  chateau  is  a  magnificently  artistic 
and  historic  shrine  if  there  ever  was  such.  In 
1677  Madame  de  Sevigne  wrote  that  she  "  here 
descended  from  her  carriage:  chez  son  Seigneur 
d'Epoisses.^^  Here  she  found  herself  so  com- 
fortably off  that  she  forgot  to  go  on  to  Bour- 
billy,  where  she  was  expected  and  daily  awaited. 
It  was  ten  days  later  that  she  finally  moved  on ; 
so  one  has  but  the  best  of  opinions  regarding 
the  good  cheer  which  was  offered  her.  At  the 
time  it  must  have  been  an  ideal  country  house, 
this  mansion  of  the  Seigneur  d 'Epoisses,  as  in- 
deed it  is  to-day.  The  lady  wrote  further: 
*'  Here  there  is  the  greatest  liberty;  one  reads 
or  walks  or  talks  or  works  as  he,  or  she, 
pleases."  This  is  what  everyone  desires  and 
so  seldom  gets  when  on  a  visit.  As  for  the 
other  natural  and  artificial  charms  which  sur- 
rounded the  place,  one  may  well  judge  by  a 
contemplation  of  it  to-day. 

Here  in  the  chateau,  or  manor,  or  whatever 
manner  of  rank  it  actually  takes  in  one's  mind, 
you  may  see  the  room  occupied  by  Madame  de 
Sevigne  on  the  occasion  of  her  '*  pleasant 
visit."  It  is  a  "  Chambre  aux  Fleurs  "  in 
truth,  and  that,  too,  is  the  name  by  which  the 
apartment  is  officially  known. 

Above   the  mantel,   garlanded  with  flowers 


54  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

carved  in  wood,  one  reads  the  following  attrib- 
II    I  uted  to  the  fascinating  Marquise  herself.    The 

circumstance  is  authenticated  in  spite  of  the 
fantastic  orthography.  As  a  letter  writer,  at 
any  rate,  she  made  no  such  faults. 

"  Nos  plaisirs  ne  sont  capparence 
Et  souvent  se  cache  nos  plenrs 
Sous  r eclat  de  ces  helles  Jieurs 
Qui  ne  sont  que  vaine  e'perance," 

The  Chateau  de  Bourbilly,  where  Madame  de 
Sevigne  was  really  bound  at  the  time  she  lin- 
gered on  "  cliez  son  cher  seigneur/'  is  a  near 
neighbour  of  Epoisses.  It  was  the  retreat  of 
Madame  de  Chantal,  the  ancestress  of  Madame 
de  Se\'igne,  the  founder  of  the  Order  of  the 
Visitation  who  has  since  become  a  saint  of  the 
church  calendar  —  Sainte  Jeanne-de-Chantal. 

This  fine  seventeenth  century  chateau,  with 
its  pointed  towers  and  its  mansard,  belonged 
successively  to  the  families  Marigny,  de  Mello, 
de  Thil,  de  Savace,  de  la  Tremouille  and  Eabu- 
tin-Chantel,  of  which  the  sanctified  Jeanne  and 
Madame  de  Se^dgne  were  the  most  illustrious 
members. 

Madame  de  Sevigne,  the  amiable  letter 
writer,  sojourned  here  often  on  her  voyages  up 
and  down  France.     She  herself  lived  in  the 


«0 


w 


Semur-en-Auxois,  Epoisses,  Bourbilly  55 

Cliateau  des  Rocliers  in  Brittany  and  her 
daughter,  the  Comtesse  de  Grignan,  in  Pro- 
vence, and  they  did  not  a  little  visiting  between 
the  two.  Bourbilly  was  a  convenient  and  de- 
lightful halfway  house. 

Madame  de  Sevigne  can  not  be  said  to  have 
made  Bourbilly  her  residence  for  long  at  any 
time.  For  a  fact  she  was  as  frequently  a  guest 
at  the  neighbouring  Chateau  de  Guitant,  a 
feudal  dwelling  still  inhabited  by  the  de  Gui- 
tants,  or  at  Epoisses,  as  she  was  at  Bourbilly. 

In  the  chajDel,  which  is  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, is  the  tomb  of  the  Baron  de  Bussy-Rabutin 
and  some  reliques  of  Sainte-Jeanne-de-Chantal. 
The  latter  has  served  to  make  of  Bourbilly  a 
pilgrim  shrine  which,  on  the  21st  Augaist,  draws 
a  throng  from  all  parts  for  the  annual  fete. 

There  was  a  popular  impression  long  current 
among  French  writers  that  Madame  de  Sevigne 
was  born  in  the  Chateau  de  Bourbilly.  A  line 
or  two  of  that  indefatigable  x^enman,  Bussy, 
tended  to  make  this  ready  of  belief  when  he 
wrote  of  his  cousin  as  ^'  Une  demoiselle  de 
Bourgogne  egaree  en  Bretagne."  She  herself 
claimed  to  have  been  ''  transplanted,"  but  it 
was  a  transplantation  by  marriage;  she  was 
most  certainly  not  born  at  Bourbilly,  at  any 
rate,  for  history,  better  informed  than  an  un- 


56  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

convincing  scribbler,  states  that  she  was  born 
in  Paris,  like  Moliere  and  Voltaire,  who  also 
have  finally  been  claimed  by  the  capital  as  her 
own. 

At  all  events,  at  Bourbilly  Madame  de  Se- 
vigne  was  true  enough  on  the  land  of  the 
''  vieux  chateau  de  ses  peres,  ses  belles  prairies, 
sa  petite  riviere,  ses  magnifiques  hois."  It  was 
her  property  in  fact,  or  came  to  be,  and  she 
might  have  lived  there  had  she  chosen.  She 
would  not  dispose  of  it  when  importuned  to  do 
so,  and  replied  simply,  but  coldly  (one  reads 
this  in  the  ^'  Letters  "),  "I  will  not  sell  the 
property  for  the  reason  that  I  wish  to  hand 
it  down  to  my  daughter. ' '  From  this  one  would 
think  that  she  had  a  great  affection  for  it,  but 
at  times  it  was  a  ''  vieux  chateau  "  and  at 
others  it  was  a  "  horrible  maison."  Capricious 
woman!  The  letters  of  Madame  de  Sevigne 
written  from  here  were  not  numerous,  as  she 
only  ''  stopped  over  "  on  her  various  joumey- 
ings.  When  one  recognizes  the  tastes  and  hab- 
its of  the  Marquise,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  her  visits  to  Bourbilly  were  neither  pro- 
longed nor  multiplied. 

Turning  one's  itinerary  south  from  Semur 
one  comes  shortly  to  Cussy-la-Colonne,  where 
'^  la  Colonne  "  is  recognized  by  the  archasolo- 


Semur-en-Auxois,  Epoisses,  Bourbilly  57 

gists  as  one  of  the  most  celebrated  and  most 
ancient  monuments  of  Burgimdy. 

One  learns  from  the  inscription  in  Franco- 
Latin  that  the  ancient  monument  {antiquissi- 
muni  hoc  monumentum) ,  much  damaged  by  the 
flapping  wings  of  time,  was  rebuilt,  as  nearly  as 
possible  in  its  original  form,  by  a  prefect  of 
the  Department  of  the  Cote  d'Or  (Collis  Aurei 
Praefectus),  M.  Charles  Arbaud,  in  the  reign 
(sous  I'empire)  of  Charles  X  (imperante  Ca- 
rolo  X.  .  .  .  Anno  Salutis  MDCCCXXV.  An 
astonishing  melange  this  of  the  tongue  of 
Cicero  and  modern  administrative  patois. 

The  Colonne  de  Cussy,  is  rather  a  pagan 
memorial  of  a  victory  of  the  Romans  in  the 
reign  of  Diocletian,  or,  from  another  surmise,  a 
funeral  monument  to  a  Roman  general  dead  on 
the  eve  of  victory.  In  either  case,  there  it 
stands  fragmentary  and  wind  and  weather  worn 
like  the  pillars  of  Hercules  or  Pompey. 

One  simply  notes  Cussy  and  its  "  colonne  " 
en  passayit  on  the  road  to  Saulieu  and  Arnay-le- 
Duc,  where  the  Dues  de  Bourgogne  had  one  of 
their  most  favoured  country  houses,  or  manors. 

We  only  stopped  at  Saulieu  by  chance  any- 
way; we  stopped  for  the  night  in  fact  because 
it  was  getting  too  late  to  push  on  farther,  and 
we  were  glad  indeed  that  we  did. 


58  Casties  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Saulieu  is  a  most  ancient  town  and  owes  its 
name  to  a  neighbouring  wood.  Here  was  first 
erected  a  pagan  temple  to  the  sun;  fragments 
of  it  have  recently  been  found;  and  here  one 
may  still  see  the  tracings  of  the  old  Eoman  way 
crossing  what  was  afterwards,  —  to  the  power- 
ful colony  at  Autun,  —  the  Duchy  of  Burgundy. 

As  a  fortified  place  Saulieu  was  most  potent, 
but  in  1519  a  pest  destroyed  almost  its  total 
population.  Disaster  after  disaster  fell  upon  it 
and  the  place  never  again  achieved  the  promi- 
nence of  its  neighbouring  contemporaries. 

It  was  here  at  Saulieu  in  Eevolutionary  times 
that  the  good  people,  as  if  in  remembrance  of 
the  disasters  which  had  befallen  them  under 
monarchial  days,  hailed  with  joy  the  arrival  of 
the  men  of  the  Marseilles  Battalion  as  they  were 
marching  on  Paris  ^'  to  help  capture  Capet's 
castle."  Before  the  church  of  Saint  Saturnin 
the  Patriots '  Club  had  lighted  a  big  bonfire,  and 
the  '^  Men  of  the  Midi  "  were  received  with 
open  arms  and  a  warm  welcome. 

"  How  good  they  were  to  us  at  Saulieu," 
said  one  of  the  number,  recounting  his  adven- 
tures upon  his  arrival  at  Paris;  "  they  gave 
us  all  the  wine  we  could  swallow  and  all  the 
good  things  we  could  eat,  —  we  had  enough 
boeuf-a-la-daub  to  rise  over  our  ears  ..." 


Semur-en-Auxois,  Epoisses,  Bourbilly  59 

To-day  the  good  folk  of  Saulieu  treat  the 
stranger  in  not  unsimilar  fashion,  and  though 
the  town  lacks  noble  monuments  it  makes  up 
for  the  deficiency  in  its  good  cheer.  Saulieu  in 
this  respect  quite  lives  up  to  its  reputation  of 
old.  This  little  capital  of  the  Morvan-Bour- 
guignon  has  ever  owned  to  one  or  more  distin- 
guished Vatel's,  Madame  de  Se\4gne,  in  1677, 
stopped  here  at  a  friend's  country  house,  and, 
as  she  wrote, ''  le  fermier  donne  a  tons  un  grand 
diner."  This  was  probably  the  Manoir  de 
Guitant  between  Bourbilly  and  Saulieu.  They 
were  long  at  table,  for  it  was  a  diner  des  adieux 
given  by  her  friend  Guitant  to  his  visitors.  She 
wrote  further :  ' '  With  the  dinner  one  drank  a 
great  deal,  and  afterwards  a  great  deal  more; 
all  went  off  with  the  greatest  possible  eclat. 
Voilal 'affaire!  " 

E^^dently  such  a  manner  of  parting  did  not 
produce  sadness! 

A  donjon  tower  with  a  duck-pond  before  it, 
opposite  the  Hotel  de  la  Poste  is  all  the  medicT- 
valism  that  one  sees  within  the  town  at  Saulieu 
to-day.  It  is  all  that  one's  imagination  can 
conjure  up  of  the  ideal  donjon  of  mediaevalism 
and  interesting  withal,  though  its  history  is 
most  brief,  indeed  may  be  said  to  exist  not  at 
all  in  recorded  form,  for  the  chief  references  to 


60  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Saulieu's  historic  past  date  back  to  the  pagan 
temple  and  the  founding  of  the  Abbey  of  Saint 
Andoche  in  the  eighth  century. 

Still  heading  south  one  comes  in  a  dozen  kilo- 
metres to  a  chateau  of  the  fourteenth  century, 
and  the  restorations  of  Henri  IV  at  Thoisy-la- 
Berchere.  Later  restorations,  by  the  Marquis 
de  Montbossier,  who  occupies  it  to-day,  have 
made  of  it  one  of  the  most  attractive  of  the 
minor  chateaux  of  France.  One  may  visit  it 
under  certain  conditions,  whether  the  family  is 
in  residence  or  not,  and  will  carry  away  memo- 
ries of  many  splendid  chimney  pieces  and  wall 
tapestries.  For  the  rest  the  furnishings  are 
modern,  which  is  sa^^ng  that  they  are  banal. 
This  of  course  need  not  always  be  so,  but  when 
the  Eenaissance  is  mixed  with  the  art  nouveau 
and  the  latest  fantasies  of  Dufayal  it  lacks  ap- 
peal. This  is  as  bad  as  "  Empire  "  and  "  Mis- 
sion," which  seem  to  have  set  the  pace  for 
"  club  furniture  "  during  the  past  decade. 

Amay-le-Duc  still  to  the  south  was  the  site 
of  a  ducal  Burgundian  manor  which  almost 
reached  the  distinction  of  a  palace.  Here  the 
country  loving  dukes  spent  not  a  little  of  their 
leisure  time  when  away  from  their  capital. 

Arnay-le-Duc,  more  than  any  other  town  of 
its  class  in  France,  retains  its  almost  undefiled 


Semur-en-Auxois,  Epoisses,  Bourbilly  61 

feudal  aspect  to-day  when  viewed  from  beyond 
the  walls.  Formerly  it  was  the  seat  of  a  bail- 
liage  and  has  conserved  the  debris  of  the  feudal 
official  residence.  This  is  supported  in  addition 
by  many  fine  examples  of  Renaissance-Burg-un- 
dian  architectural  treasures  which  give  the 
town  at  once  the  stamp  of  genuineness  which  it 
will  take  many  years  of  progress  to  wholly 
eradicate. 

None  of  these  fine  structures,  least  of  all  the 
ducal  manor,  is  perfectly  conserved,  but  the 
remains  are  sufficiently  ample  and  well  cared 
for  to  merit  the  classification  of  still  being 
reckoned  habitable  and  of  importance.  The  old 
manor  of  the  dukes  has  now  descended  to  more 
humble  uses,  but  has  lost  little  of  the  aristo- 
cratic bearing  which  it  once  owned. 

It  was  near  this  fortified  bourgade  of  other 
days  —  fortified  that  the  dukes  might  rest  in 
peace  when  they  repaired  thither  —  that  the  in- 
fant Henri  IV,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  received 
his  baptism  of  fire  and  first  gained  his  stripes 
under  the  direction  of  Marechal  de  Cosse- 
Brissac. 


CHAPTEE   V 

MONTBAED    AND   BUSSY  -  RABUTIN 

MoNTBARD  lies  inidway  between  Semur  and 
Cliatillon-sur-Seine,  on  the  great  highroad  lead- 
ing from  Burgundy  into  Champagne.  The  old 
Chateau  de  Montbard  is  represented  only  by  the 
donjon  tower  which  rises  grimly  above  the 
modern  edifice  built  around  its  base  and  the 
sprawling  little  town  which  clusters  around  its 
park  gates  at  the  edge  of  the  tiny  river  Brenne. 

The  ' '  grand  seigneur  ' '  of  Montbard  was  but 
a  simple  man  of  letters,  the  naturalist  Buffon. 
Here  he  found  comfort  and  tranquillity,  and 
loved  the  place  and  its  old  associations  accord- 
ingly. Here  he  lived,  "  having  doffed  his 
sword  and  cloak,"  and  occupied  himself  only 
with  his  literary  labours,  though  with  a  gallan- 
try and  esprit  which  could  but  have  produced 
the  eloquent  pages  ascribed  to  him. 

Buffon  was  a  native  of  the  town,  and  through 
him,  more  than  anyone  else,  the  town  has  since 
been  heard  of  in  history. 

Having   acquired   the   property   of   the    old 

62 


Montbard  and  Bussy-Rabutin        63 

chateau,  the  donjon  of  which  stood  firm  and 
broad  on  its  base,  he  made  of  the  latter  his 
study,  or  salon  de  travail.  This  is  the  only 
remaining  portion  of  the  mediaeval  castle  of 
Montbard.  The  ancient  walls  which  existed, 
though  in  a  ruined  state,  were  all  either  levelled 
or  rebuilt  by  Buffon  into  the  dependent  dwell- 
ing which  he  attached  to  the  donjon.  The  Rev- 
olution, too,  did  not  a  little  towards  wiping  out 
a  part  of  the  structure,  as  indeed  it  did  the  tomb 
of  the  naturalist  in  the  local  churchyard. 

Buffon,  or,  to  give  him  his  full  title,  Georges- 
Louis-Leclerc-de-Buffon  lived  here  a  life  of  re- 
tirement, amid  a  comfort,  perhaps  even  of  lux- 
ury, that  caused  his  jealous  critics  to  say  that 
he  worked  in  a  velvet  coat,  and  that  he  was 
a  sort  of  eighteenth  century  *'  nature-fakir." 
This  is  probably  an  injustice. 

In  1774  Louis  XV  made  the  ^^  terre  de  Buf- 
fon "  a  countship,  but  the  naturalist  chose  not 
to  reside  in  the  village  of  the  name,  but  to  live 
at  Montbard  some  leagues  away. 

Montbard 's  actual  celebrity  came  long  before 
the  time  of  Buffon,  for  its  chateau  was  built  in 
the  fourteenth  century  and  was  for  centuries 
the  possessor  of  an  illustrious  sequence  of  an- 
nals intimately  associated  with  the  dukedom  of 
Burgundy. 


64  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Jean-Sans-Peur,  it  is  to  be  noted,  passed  a 
portion  of  liis  youth  within  its  walls.  This 
gives  it  at  once  rank  as  a  royal  chateau,  though 
that  was  not  actually  its  classification.  The 
Princesse  Anne,  sister  of  Philippe  le  Bon,  here 
married  the  Duke  of  Bedford  in  1423.  All  this 
would  seem  fame  enough  for  Montbard,  but  the 
local  old  men  and  women  know  no  more  of  their 
remote  rulers  than  they  do  of  Buff  on;  local 
pride  is  a  very  doubtful  commodity. 

It  is  disconcerting  for  a  stranger  to  accost 
some  bon  horn  me  or  bonne  femme  to  learn  the 
way  to  the  Chateau  de  Buffon,  and  to  receive  in 
reply  a  simple  stare  and  the  observation,  "  I 
don't  know  the  man."  Aside,  to  some  crony, 
you  may  hear  the  observation,  "  "Who  are 
these  strangers  and  what  do  they  want  with 
their  man  Buffon  anyway?  "  This  may  seem 
an  exaggeration,  but  it  is  not,  and  furthermore 
the  thing  may  happen  anywhere.  Glory  is  but 
as  smoke,  and  local  fame  is  often  an  infinitesi- 
mal thing.  Vanitas  vanitatum  et  omnia  vani- 
tas! 

Buffon  wrote  his  extensive  "  Histoire  Xa- 
turelle  "  at  Montbard.  It  created  much  admi- 
ration at  the  time.  To-day  Buffon,  his  work 
and  his  chateau  are  all  but  forgotten  or  ignored, 
and  but  few  visitors  come  to  continue  the  idol- 


Montbard  and  Bussy-Rabutin        65 

atry  of  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau,  who  kissed  the 
*'  seuil  de  la  noble  demure." 

Not  long  since,  within  some  few  years  at  any 
rate,  a  former  friend  of  Alfred  de  Musset 
quoted  some  little  known  lines  of  the  poet  on 
this  "  berceau  de  la  histoire  naturelle,"  with 
the  result  that  quite  recently  the  local  authori- 
ties, in  establishing  the  Musee  Buffon,  have 
caused  them  to  be  carved  on  a  panel  in  the 
naturalist's  former  study  at  the  chateau. 

"  Buffon,  que  ton  ombre  pardonne 
A  une  t^m^rit6 
D'ajouter  une  fleur  a  la  double  couronne 
Que  sur  ton  front  mit  I'lmmortalit^." 

Buffon 's  additions  to  the  old  chateau  were 
made  for  comfort,  whatever  they  may  have 
lacked  of  romanticism.  The  French  Pliny  was 
evidently  not  in  the  least  romantically  inclined, 
or  he  would  not  have  levelled  these  historic 
walls  and  the  alleyed  walks  and  gardens  laid 
out  in  the  profuse  and  formal  manner  of  those 
of  Italy.  The  result  is  a  poor  substitute  for 
a  picturesque  grass-grown  ruin,  or  a  faithfully 
restored  medi.Tval  castle. 

Between  the  Brenne  and  a  canal  which  flows 
through  the  town  rises  an  admirable  feudal 
tower   indicating    the   one    time   military   and 


66  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

strategic  importance  of  the  site.  It  is  called 
Mont  Bard,  and  marks  where  once  stood  the 
fortress  that  surrendered  in  its  time  to  the 
*'  Lignenrs." 

Near  Montbard  is  a  hamlet  which  bears  the 
illustrious  name  of  Buffon,  but  it  is  doubtful  if 
even  a  few  among  its  three  hundred  inhabitants 
know  for  whom  it  is  named. 

Still  further  away,  on  the  Chatillon  road,  is 
the  little  town  of  Yillaines-en-Dumois,  a  bourg 
of  no  importance  in  the  life  of  modernity.  It 
is  somnolent  to  an  extreme,  comfortable-look- 
ing and  apparently  prosperous.  The  grand 
route  from  Paris  to  Dijon  passes  it  by  a  dozen 
kilometres  to  the  left,  and  the  railway  likewise. 
Coaching  days  left  it  out  in  the  cold  also,  and 
modern  travel  hardly  knows  that  it  exists. 

In  spite  of  this  the  town  owns  to  something 
more  than  the  trivial  morsels  of  stone  which 
many  a  township  locally  claims  as  a  chateau. 
Here  was  once  a  favourite  summer  residence  of 
the  Burgundian  dukes,  and  here  to-day  the 
shell,  or  framework,  of  the  same  edifice  looks  as 
though  it  might  easily  be  made  habitable.  The 
property  came  later  to  the  Madame  de  Longue- 
■^-ille,  the  sister  of  the  Grand  Conde.  There  is 
nothing  absolutely  magnificent  about  it  now, 
but  the  suggestion  of  its  former  estate  is  stUI 


Montbard  and  Bussy-Rabutin        67 

there  to  a  notable  degree.  The  walls  and  tow- 
ers, lacking  roofs  though  they  do,  well  suggest 
the  princely  part  the  edifice  once  played  in  the 
life  of  its  time. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  name  of  the  town 
appears  in  none  of  the  red  or  blue  backed  guide- 
books, enough  is  known  of  it  to  establish  it  as 
the  former  temporary  seat  of  one  of  the  most 
fonnal  of  the  minor  courts  of  Europe,  where  — 
the  records  tell  —  etiquette  was  as  strict  as  in 
the  ducal  palace  at  Dijon.  Four  great  round 
towers  are  each  surrounded  by  a  half-filled 
moat,  and  the  suggestion  of  the  old  chapel,  in 
the  shape  of  an  expanse  of  wall  which  shows 
a  remarkably  beautiful  ogival  window,  defi- 
nitely remains  to  give  the  idea  of  the  former 
luxury  and  magnificence  with  which  the  whole 
structure  was  endowed. 

A  detached  dwelling,  said  to  be  the  house  of 
the  prior  of  a  neighbouring  monastery  who  at- 
tached himself  to  the  little  court,  is  in  rather 
a  better  state  of  preservation  than  the  chateau 
itself,  and  might  indeed  be  made  habitable  by 
one  with  a  modest  purse  and  a  desire  to  play 
the  '*  grand  seigneur  "  to-day  in  some  petty 
gone-to-seed  community.  These  opportunities 
exist  all  up  and  down  France  to-day,  and  this 
seems  as  likely  a  spot  as  any  for  one  who 


68  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

wishes  to  transplant  his,  or  her,  household 
gods. 

Beyond  Montbard  is  Les  Laumes,  a  minor 
railway  junction  on  the  line  to  Dijon,  which  is 
scarcely  ever  remembered  by  the  traveller  who 
passes  it  by.  But,  although  there  is  nothing 
inspiring  to  be  had  from  even  a  glance  of  the 
eye  in  any  direction  as  one  stops  a  brief  mo- 
ment at  the  station,  nevertheless  it  is  a  prolific 
centre  for  a  series  of  historical  pilgrimages 
which,  for  pleasurable  edification,  would  make 
the  traveller  remember  it  all  his  life  did  he  give 
it  more  than  a  passing  thought.  One  must 
know  its  history  though,  or  many  of  the  historic 
souvenirs  will  be  passed  by  without  an  impres- 
sion worth  while. 

On  Mont  Auxois,  rising  up  back  of  the  town, 
stands  a  colossal  statue  of  Vercingetorix,  in 
memory  of  a  resistance  which  he  here  made 
against  the  usually  redoubtable  Caesar. 

Six  kilometres  away  there  is  one  of  the  most 
romantically  historic  of  all  the  minor  chateaux 
of  France  and  one  not  to  be  omitted  from  any- 
body's chateaux  tour  of  France.  It  is  the 
Chateau  de  Bussy-Eabutin,  to-day  restored  and 
reinhabited,  though  for  long  periods  since  its 
construction  it  was  empty  save  for  bats  and 
mice.    This  restoration,  which  looks  to-day  like 


» 


i 


68  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

■wishes   to   transplant   l\is,    or   her,    household 
gods. 

Beyond  Montbard  is   ?  -.  a  minor 

railway  junction  on  tV-  i,  which  is 

scarcely  ever  remembe.  /eller  who 

passes  it  by.     But,  althcn;  -  nothing 

inspiring  to  be  had  from  ev:  vhe 

eye  in  any  direction  as"  one  .  mo- 

ment at  the  station,  neverthek'.--  .-  i  f  j;i'Hc 
centre  for  a  series  of  historical  pilgrimages 
n'hich,  for  pleasurable  edification,  would  make 
tlir  i  :•;■  vf'ller  remember  it  all  his  life  did  he  give 
it  moreQiateau  de  Biissg-Rabtttfnt.  One  must 
•    ■•     -'^  ••■.•-  T^  ■  ''  ••"^  ^'^  ^-i-oric 


Vi.  rciiigelorix,   iii 
;. .  V    -i.ich  he  here  made 

age-  vloubtahle  CaE?sar. 

Six  kilometres  away  there  is  one  of  the  most 
romantically  historic  of  all  the  minor  chateaux 
of  France  and  one  not  to  be  omitted  from  any- 
body's chateaux  tour  of  France.  It  is  the 
Chateau  de  Bussy-Eabutin,  to-day  restored  and 
reinliabited,  though  for  long  ])eriods  since  its 
construction  it  was  empty  save  for  bats  and 
mice.    This  restoration,  which  looks  to-day  lit» 


^j»?^T|l';^ 


Montbard  and  Bussy-Rabutin        69 

a  part  of  the  original  fabric,  was  the  conceit 
of  the  Comte  de  Bussy-Rabutin,  a  cousin  of 
Madame  de  Sevigne  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
It  gives  one  the  impression  of  being  an  exact 
replica  of  a  seigneurial  domain  of  its  time. 

The  main  fabric  is  a  vast  square  edifice  with 
four  towers,  each  marking  one  of  the  cardinal 
points.  The  Tour  du  Donjon  to  the  east,  and 
the  Tour  de  la  Chapelle  to  the  west  are  bound 
to  a  heavy  ungainly  facade  which  the  Comte 
Roger  de  Bussy-Rabutin  built  in  1649.  This 
ligature  is  a  sort  of  a  galleried  arcade  which 
itself  dates  from  the  reign  of  Henri  II. 

As  to  its  foundation  the  chateau  probably 
dates  from  an  ancestor  who  came  into  being  in 
the  twelfth  century.  In  later  centuries  it  fre- 
quently changed  hands,  until  it  came  to  Leon- 
ard du  Rabutin,  Baron  d'Epiry,  and  father  of 
the  Comte  Roger  who  did  the  real  work  of 
remodelling.  It  was  this  Comte  Roger  who  has 
gone  down  to  fame  as  the  too-celebrated  cousin 
of  Madame  de  Sevigne.  To-day,  the  chateau 
belongs  to  Madame  la  Comtesse  de  Sarcus  and 
although  it  is  perhaps  the  most  historic,  at 
least  in  a  romantic  sense,  of  all  the  great  Re- 
naissance establishments  of  these  parts,  it  is 
knoviTi  to  modern  map-makers  as  the  Chateau 
de   Savoigny.     Much  of   its   early  historj'-   is 


70  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

closely  bound  with  that  picturesque  owner, 
Comte  de  Bussy-Rabutin. 

In  Holy  Week  in  1657,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
one,  Bussy  became  involved  in  some  sort  of  a 
military  scandal  and  was  exiled  from  France. 
The  following  year  he  made  peace  with  the 
powers  that  be  and  returned  to  court,  when  he 
composed  the  famous,  or  infamous,  "  Histoire 
Amoureuse  des  Gaules,"  a  work  of  supposed 
great  wit  and  satirical  purport,  but  scandalous 
to  a  degree  unspeakable.  It  was  written  to 
curry  favour  with  a  certain  fair  lady,  the  Mar- 
quise de  Monglat,  who  had  an  axe  to  grind 
among  a  certain  coterie  of  court  favourites. 
Bussy  stood  her  in  great  stead  and  the  scheme 
worked  to  a  charm  up  to  a  certain  point,  when 
Louis  XIV,  not  at  all  pleased  with  the  un- 
seemly satire,  hurried  its  unthinking,  or  too 
willing,  author  off  to  the  Bastile  and  kept  him 
there  for  five  years,  that  no  more  of  his  lucu- 
brations of  a  similar,  or  any  other,  nature 
should  see  the  light. 

In  1666  Bussy  got  back  to  his  native  land 
and  was  again  heard  of  by  boiling  over  once 
more  with  similar  indiscretions  at  Chazeu,  near 
Autun.  Finally  he  got  home  to  the  chateau 
and  there  remained  for  sixteen  consecutive 
years,  not  a  recluse  exactly,  and  yet  not  daring 


Montbard  and  Bussy-Rabutin        71 

to  show  his  head  at  Paris.  It  was  a  long  time 
before  he  again  regained  favour  in  royal  cir- 
cles. 

The  Cour  d'Honneur  of  the  chateau  is 
reached  by  a  monumental  portal  which  trav- 
erses the  middle  of  the  corps  du  log  is.  Above 
this  are  two  marble  busts,  one  of  Sainte- 
Jeanne-de-Chantal,  which  came  originally  from 
the  Convent  de  Visitation  at  Dijon,  and  the 
other  of  Colbert,  the  minister  of  Louis  XIV. 

The  ancient  Salle  des  Devises  (now  the  mod- 
ern billiard  room)  has  a  very  beautiful  pave- 
ment of  hexagonal  tiles,  and  a  series  of  alle- 
gorical devises  which  Bussy  had  painted  in 
1667  by  way  of  reproach  to  one  of  his  feminine 
admirers.  On  other  panels  are  painted  various 
reproductions  of  royal  chateaux  and  a  portrait 
of  Bussy  with  his  emblazoned  arms. 

The  Salon  des  Grands  Hommes  de  Guerre, 
on  the  second  floor,  is  well  explained  by  its 
name.  Its  decorations  are  chiefly  interlaced 
monograms  of  Bussy  and  the  Marquise  Mon- 
glat,  setting  off  sixty  odd  portraits  of  famous 
French  warriors,  from  Duguesclin  and  Dunois 
to  Bussy  himself,  who,  though  more  wielder  of 
the  pen  than  the  sword,  chose  to  include  him- 
self in  the  collection.  Some  of  these  are  orig- 
inals, contemporary  with  the  period  of  their 


72  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy- 
subjects;   others  are  manifestly  modern  copies 
and  mediocre  at  that,  though  the  array  of  ef- 
figies is  undeniably  imposing. 

The  Chambre  Sevigne,  as  one  infers,  is  con- 
secrated to  the  memory  of  the  most  famous 
letter  writer  of  her  time.  For  ornamentation 
it  has  twenty-six  portraits,  one  or  more  being 
by  Mignard,  while  that  of  ''La  Grande  Made- 
moiselle," who  became  the  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
is  by  Coypel. 

Below  a  portrait  of  Madame  de  Sevigne, 
Bussy  caused  to  be  inscribed  the  following: 
"  Marie  de  Rabutin:  vive  agreable  et  sage, 
fille  de  Celse  Beninge  de  Rabutin  et  Marie  de 
Coulanges  et  femme  de  Henri  de  Sevigne." 
This,  one  may  be  justified  in  thinking,  is  quite 
a  biography  in  brief,  the  sort  of  a  description 
one  might  expect  to  find  in  a  seventeenth  cen- 
tury "  Who's  Who." 

Beneath  the  portrait  of  her  daughter  — 
Comtesse  de  Grignan  —  the  inscription  reads 
thus:  "  Frangoise  de  Sevigne;  jolie,  amiable, 
enfin  marchant  sur  les  pas  de  sa  mere  sur  le 
chapitre  des  agreements,  fille  de  Henri  de  Se- 
vigne et  de  Marie  de  Rabutin  et  femme  du 
Comte  de  Grignan."  A  rather  more  extended 
biography  than  the  former,  but  condensed 
withal. 


Montbard  and  Bussy-Rabutin        73 

Another  neighbouring  room  is  known  as  the 
Petite  Chambre  Sevigne,  and  contains  some  ad- 
mirable sculptures  and  paintings. 

Leading  to  the  famous  Tour  Doree  is  a  long 
gallery  furnished  after  the  style  of  the  time  of 
Henri  II,  whilst  a  great  circular  room  in  the 
tower  itself  is  richly  decorated  and  furnished, 
including  two  faisceaux  of  six  standards,  each 
bearing  the  Bussy  colours. 

Legend  and  fable  have  furnished  the  motive 
of  the  frescoes  of  this  curious  apartment,  and 
under  one  of  them,  *'  Cephale  et  Procris,"  in 
which  one  recognizes  the  features  of  Bussy  and 
the  Marquise,  his  particular  friend,  are  the 
following  lines: 

"  Eprouver  si  sa  femme  a  le  coeur  pr^cieux, 
C'est  §tre  impertinent  autant  que  curieux  : 
Un  peu  d' obscurity  vaut,  en  cette  matiere, 
Mille  fois  mieux  que  la  lumiere." 

Not  logical,  you  say,  and  unprincipled.  Just 
that!  But  as  a  documentary  expression  of  the 
life  of  the  times  it  is  probably  genuine. 

Here  and  elsewhere  on  the  walls  of  the  cha- 
teau are  many  really  worthy  works  of  art,  por- 
traits by  Mignard,  Lebrun,  Just,  and  others, 
including  still  another  elaborate  series  of  four- 
teen, representing  Richelieu,  Louis  XIII,  Anne 


74  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

d'Autriche,  Mazarin,  Louis  XIV.  Again  in  the 
plafond  of  the  great  tower  are  other  frescoes 
representing  the  "  Petits  Amours  "  of  the 
time,  always  with  the  interlaced  cyphers  of 
Bussy  and  Madame  la  Comtesse. 

From  the  Chambre  Sevigne  a  gallery  leads 
to  the  tribune  of  the  chapel.  Here  is  a  portrait 
gallery  of  the  kings  of  the  third  race,  of  the 
parents  of  Bussy,  and  of  the  four  Burgundian 
dukes  and  duchesses  of  the  race  of  Valois.  The 
chapel  itself  is  formed  of  a  part  of  the  Tour 
Ronde  where  are  two  canvasses  of  Poussin,  a 
Murillo  and  one  of  Andrea  del  Sarto. 

The  gardens  and  Park  of  the  chateau  are 
attributed  to  Le  Notre,  the  garden-maker  of 
Versailles.  This  may  or  may  not  be  so,  the  as- 
sertion is  advanced  cautiously,  because  the 
claim  has  so  often  falsely  been  made  of  other 
chateau  properties.  The  gardens  here,  how- 
ever, were  certainly  conceived  after  Le  Notre 's 
magnificent  manner.  There  is  a  great  orna- 
mental water  environing  the  chateau  some 
sixty  metres  in  length  and  twelve  metres  in 
width,  and  this  of  itself  is  enough  to  give  great 
distinction  to  any  garden-plot. 


CHAPTER   VI 

"  CHASTILLON    AU    NOBLE   DUG  '* 
(The  War  Cry  of  the  Bourguignone) 

The  importance  of  the  ancient  Chastillon  on 
the  banks  of  the  Seine  was  entirely  due  to  the 
prominence  given  to  it  by  the  Burgundian 
dukes  of  the  first  race  who  made  it  their  pre- 
ferred habitation. 

The  place  was  the  ancient  capital  of  the  Bail- 
liage  de  la  Montague,  the  rampart  and  keep  to 
the  Burgundian  frontier  from  the  tenth  to  the 
fifteenth  centun,'. 

The  origin  of  the  Chateau  des  Duc^  is  blan- 
keted in  the  night  of  time.  Savants,  even,  can 
not  agree  as  to  the  date  of  its  commencement. 
One  says  that  it  and  its  name  were  derived 
from  Castico,  a  rich  Sequanais;  and  another 
that  it  comes  from  Castell,  an  enclosed  place; 
or  from  Castellio  —  a  small  fortress.  Each 
seems  plausible  in  the  absence  of  anything 
more  definite,  though  according  to  the  castle's 
latest  historian  it  owes  its  actual  inception  to 

75 


76  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

the  occupation  of  the  Romans  who  did  build  a 
castrum  here  in  their  time. 

During  the  pourparlers  between  Henri  IV 
and  the  League,  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  de- 
manded of  Nicolas  de  Gellan,  governor  of  the 
place,  the  giving  up  of  the  castle  which  had  for 
years  been  the  cause  of  so  much  misery  and 
misfortune.  The  place  had  been  the  culmina- 
tive  point  of  the  attacks  of  centuries  of  war- 
riors, and  the  inhabitants  believed  that  they  had 
so  suffered  that  it  was  time  to  cry  quits. 

"\Yhen  the  surrender,  or  the  turning  over, 
of  the  castle  took  place,  all  the  population, 
including  women  and '  children,  marched  en 
masse  upon  the  structure,  and  wall  by  wall  and 
stone  by  stone  dismantled  it,  leaving  it  in  the 
condition  one  sees  it  to-day.  A  castle  of  sorts 
still  exists,  but  it  is  a  mere  wraith  of  its  former 
self.  There  is  this  much  to  say  for  it,  however, 
and  that  is  that  its  stern,  gi'im  walls  which  still 
stand  remain  as  silent  witnesses  to  the  fact  that 
it  was  not  despoiled  from  without  but  demol- 
ished from  within.  Peace  came  soon  after,  and 
the  people  in  submitting  to  the  new  regime 
would  not  hear  of  the  rebuilding  of  the  chateau, 
and  so  for  three  hundred  years  its  battered 
walls  and  blank  windows  have  stood  the  stresses 
of  rigorous  winters  and  broiling  summers,  a 


"  Chastillon  au  Noble  Due  "         77 

silent  and  conspicuous  monument  to  the  rights 
of  the  people. 

The  majestic  tower  of  the  chateau,  for  some- 
thing more  than  the  mere  outline  of  the  ground- 
plan  still  exists,  is  bound  to  two  others  by  a 
very  considerable  expanse  of  wall  of  the  don- 
jon, and  by  the  court ines  which  formerly  joined 
the  bastions  with  the  main  structure. 

The  suggestion  of  the  ample  inner  court  is 
still  there,  and  the  foundations  of  still  two  other 
towers,  as  well  as  various  ruined  walls.  A 
neighbouring  edifice,  the  buildings  formerly  oc- 
cupied by  the  Canons  of  Saint  Vorles,  is  inex- 
plicably intermingled  with  the  ruins  of  the  cha- 
teau in  a  way  that  makes  it  difficult  to  tell  where 
one  leaves  off  and  the  other  begins.  The  chevet 
of  the  Eglise  de  Saint  Vorles  and  its  church- 
yard also  intermingle  with  the  confines  of  the 
chateau  in  an  extraordinary  manner.  To  say 
the  least,  the  juxtaposition  of  things  secular  and 
ecclesiastic  is  the  least  bit  incongruous. 

Chatillon's  Tour  de  Gissey,  practically  an 
accessory  to  the  chateau,  is  a  noble  work  whose 
well-preserved  existence  is  due  entirely  to  the 
solidity  of  its  construction.  Its  lower  ranges 
are  of  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries,  but 
its  upper  gallery  and  its  row  of  meurtrieres 
were  due  to  the  military  engineers  of  Henri  IV 


78  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

who  sought  to  make  it  the  better  serve  the  pur- 
pose of  their  royal  master. 

"Within  this  tower  are  two  fine  apartments, 
of  which  the  upper,  known  as  the  Salle  des 
Gardes,  was,  before  the  Eevolution,  the  sepul- 
chre of  certain  wealthy  neighbouring  fami- 
lies. 

Within  the  limits  of  the  plot  which  surrounds 
the  chateau,  the  church  and  the  tower,  is  the 
tomb  of  Marechal  Marmont,  Due  de  Eaguse. 

The  present  edifice  at  Chatillon  occupied  by 
the  Sous-Prefecture  was  built,  as  a  plaque  on 
the  wall  indicates,  by  Madame  la  Comtesse  de 
Langeac  in  1765.  It  is  a  fine  example  of  the 
architecture  of  the  period  which,  in  spite  of 
glaring  inconsistencies  to  be  noted  once  and 
again,  is  unquestionably  most  effective,  and  sug- 
gests that  after  all  the  chateau  filled  its  pur- 
pose well  as  a  great  town  house  of  a  wealthy 
noble.  The  building  plays  a  public  part  to-day, 
and  if  it  serves  its  present  purpose  half  as  well 
as  its  former,  no  one  should  complain.  Within 
this  really  superb  and  palatial  structure  is  still 
to  be  seen  the  magnificent  stairway  of  forged 
iron  of  the  period  of  Louis  XVI.  Besides  this 
are  various  apartments  with  finely  sculptured 
wooden  panels  and  rafters  of  the  same  epoch, 
all  of  which  accessories  were  brought  thither 


'*  Chastillon  au  Noble  Due  "         79 

from  the  nearby  Chateau  de  Courcelles-les- 
Ranges,  demolished  during  the  Revolution. 

The  Chateau  de  Marmont  at  Chatillon  was 
formerly  the  princely  residence  of  the  Marechal 
de  Marmont,  rebuilt  from  the  fifteenth  century 
chatelet  occupied  by  the  Sires  de  Rochefort, 
who  were  simply  the  appointed  chatelains  of 
the  Due  de  Bourgogne,  to  whom  the  property 
really  belonged. 

In  various  successive  eras  the  edifice  was 
transformed,  or  added  to,  until  it  took  its  pres- 
ent form,  the  gradual  transformation  leaving 
little  or  no  trace  of  its  original  plan. 

The  Marechal  de  Marmont,  one  of  Chatillon 's 
most  illustrious  sons,  would  have  transformed 
his  native  city  into  a  Burgundian  Versailles,  or 
at  least  a  "  Garden  City."  He  did  found  a 
great  agricultural  enterprise,  of  which  the  cha- 
teau, its  gardens  and  its  park,  formed  the  pivot. 
Too  enterprising  for  his  times,  the  Due  de  Ra- 
guse  saw  himself  ruined,  and  then  came  the 
German  invasion  of  '71,  when,  in  a  combat  with 
the  Garibaldians,  the  chateau  was  burned. 

Chatillon  has  perpetuated  the  name  of  its 
great  man  in  the  public  place,  and  also  by  nam- 
ing one  of  the  principal  streets  for  him,  but  has 
not  yet  erected  a  statue  to  him.  This  indeed 
may  be  a  blessing  in  disguise.    Statues  in  trou- 


80  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

sers  are  seldom  dignified,  and  this  noble  duke 
lived  too  late  for  cloak  and  sword  or  suit  ar- 
mour. 

The  Chateau  de  Marmont,  so  called  even  to- 
day, was  rebuilt  after  the  fire  and  now  serves 
a  former  Maire  of  the  city  as  his  private  resi- 
dence. 

Chatillon-sur-Seine  was  —  though  all  the 
world  seems  to  have  forgotten  or  ignored  it  — 
the  seat  of  a  convention  in  1814  which  proposed 
leaving  France  its  original  territorial  limits  of 
1792,  a  proposition  of  the  ambassadors  which 
was  utterly  rejected  by  Napoleon. 

Albeit  that  Chatillon  lies  on  the  banks  of  the 
Seine  it  is  well  within  the  confines  of  Burgundy. 
Roundabout  is  a  most  fascinating  and  little  ex- 
ploited region. 

Thirty  kilometres  to  the  north  is  Bar-sur- 
Seine  and  to  the  northwest  Brienne-le-Chateau, 
where  the  Corsican  first  learned  the  rudiments 
of  the  art  of  war. 

"  La  grand' ville  de.  Bar-sur-Seine  a  fait 
trembler  Troyes  en  CJiampaignel  "  Poor 
grand'ville!  To-day  it  is  withered  and  all  but 
dried  up  and  blown  away.  Poor  grand'ville! 
It  is  the  same  of  which  Froissart  recounts  that 
it  lost  in  one  day  the  houses  of  nine  hundred 
"  nobles  et  de  riches  bourgeois  "  by  fire.    With- 


"  Chastillon  au  Noble  Due  "         81 

out  doubt  these  houses  were  of  wooden  frames 
and  offered  but  little  resistance  to  fire,  as  the 
period  was  1359.  Afterwards  the  town  was 
rebuilt  and  became  again  populous  and  rich. 
Then  began  the  decadence,  until  to-day  it  is  the 
least  populous  ''  chef -lieu  "  of  the  department. 
Its  population  is,  and  ever  has  been,  part  Bour- 
guignon  and  part  Champagnois,  the  latter  prov- 
ince being  but  a  league  to  the  northward,  where, 
on  the  actual  boundary,  is  found  the  curiously 
named  little  village  of  Bourguignons. 

South  from  Chatillon,  across  the  great  forest 
of  the  same  name,  one  of  the  great  national  for- 
ests of  France  so  paternally  cared  for  by  the 
Minister  for  Agriculture,  is  the  actual  source 
of  the  Seine.  Here  is  what  the  engineers  call  a 
"  Chateau  d'Faux,"  though  there  is  little 
enough  of  the  real  chateau  of  romance  about 
it.  It  is  simply  a  head-house  with  an  iron  grille 
and  various  culverts  and  canals  and  what  not 
which  lead  the  bubbling  waters  of  the  Seine  to 
a  wider  bed  lower  down,  there  to  continue  their 
way,  via  Paris,  to  the  sea. 

A  classic  sculpture,  typifying  the  Source  of 
the  Seine,  has  been  erected  commemorating  the 
achievement  of  the  engineers,  but  appropriate 
as  the  sentiment  is  it  has  not  prevented  the  dis- 
honouring  hand   of   that   abominable    certain 


82  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

class  of  tourist  of  graving  its  names  and  dates 
thereon. 

The  Seine  at  this  point  is  nothing  very  ma- 
jestic. It  is  simply  a  "  Jiumhle  filet  que  le  nain 
vert,  Oberon,  francherait  d'un  bond  sans  mouil- 
ler  ses  grelots."  All  Frenchmen,  and  Paris- 
ians in  particular,  have  a  reverence  for  every 
kilometre  of  the  swift-flowing  waters  of  the 
Seine.  This  is  perhaps  difficult  for  the  stranger, 
who  may  be  familiar  with  greater  if  less  his- 
toric streams  at  home,  to  appreciate  until  he 
has  actually  discussed  the  thing  with  some 
Frenchman.  Then  he  learns  that  it  is  the 
Frenchman's  Niagara,  Mississippi  and  Yosem- 
ite  and  Pike's  Peak  all  rolled  into  one  so  far  as 
his  worship  goes. 

Midway  between  Chatillon  and  the  source  is 
Duesme,  a  smug,  unheard  of  little  hamlet,  the 
successor  of  a  feudal  bourg  of  great  renown 
in  its  day.  The  sparse  ruined  walls  still  sug- 
gest the  pride  of  place  which  it  once  held  when 
capital  of  the  powerful  Burgundian  Countship 
of  Duesme.  Its  walls  are  still  something  more 
than  mere  outlines,  but  the  manorial  residence 
has  become  one  of  those  ''  walled  farms,"  so 
called,  so  frequently  seen,  and  so  unexpectedly, 
in  the  countryside  of  France.  Here  and  there  a 
gate-post,  a  wall  or  a  gable,  is  as  of  old,  and  two 


"  Chastillon  au  Noble  Due  "         83 

great  ornamental  vases  support  the  entrance 
to  the  alleyed  row  of  trees  which  leads  from  the 
highroad  to  the  dwelling,  suggesting,  if  in  a 
vague  way,  the  old  adage,  "  Other  days,  other 
ways. ' ' 

The  fall  of  this  fine  old  feudal  residence  has 
been  great,  but  the  present  occupant  —  if  he  has 
a  thought  or  care  for  such  things  —  must  be 
content  indeed  with  such  a  princely  farm-house. 
It  must  be  a  fine  thing  to  raise  chickens  and 
other  barn-yard  livestock  amid  such  surround- 
ings! 


CHAPTER    VII 

TOXNEEEE,    TANLAY    AND   AXCY  -  LE  -  FEAXC 

The  origin  of  Tonnerre  was  due  to  a  chateau- 
fort  built  here  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Arman- 
Qon,  surrounded  by  a  groupment  of  huddling 
dwellings  which,  in  turn,  were  enclosed  by  a 
corselet  wall  of  ramparts. 

Tonnerre  gi'ew  to  its  majority  through  the 
ambitions  of  a  powerful  line  of  counts  who 
made  the  original  fortress  which  they  con- 
structed the  centre  of  a  tiny  capital  of  a  feudal 
kingdom  in  miniature.  From  the  suzerainty  of 
the  Sennonais,  of  which  it  was  a  county,  Ton- 
nerre came  to  bear  the  same  title  under  control 
of  the  Burgundians,  in  whose  hands  it  remained 
until  it  passed  to  the  house  of  Luvois. 

Only  skimpy  odds  and  ends  remain  of  Ton- 
nerre's  one-time  flanking  gates,  walls  and  tow- 
ers. Its  old  chateau  —  which  the  counts  in- 
variably referred  to,  and  with  reason  doubt- 
less, as  a  palace — has  been  rebuilt  and  incor- 
porated into  the  structure  of  the  present  hos- 

84 


Tonnerre,  Tanlay  and  Ancy-le-Franc    85 

pital,  itself  a  foundation  by  Marguerite  de 
Bourgogne  and  dating  back  to  1293.  No  doubt 
many  of  the  wards  which  to-day  shelter  the  ill 
and  crippled  were  once  the  scene  of  princely 
revels. 

In  the  nineteenth  century  the  structure  was 
further  remodelled  and  put  in  order,  but  it  re- 
mains still,  from  an  architectural  point  of  view 
at  least,  an  admirable  example  of  Renaissance 
building,  though  none  of  its  attributes  to  be 
seen  at  a  first  glance  are  such  as  are  usually 
associated  with  a  great  chateau  of  the  noblesse 
of  other  days.  At  all  events  its  functions  of 
to-day  are  worthy,  and  it  is  far  better  to  ad- 
mire a  mediaeval  chateau  which  has  become  a 
hospital  than  one  which  has  been  transformed 
into  a  military  barracks  or  a  prison  for  thieves 
and  cutthroats,  an  indignity  which  has  been 
thrust  on  many  a  grand  old  edifice  in  France 
deserving  of  a  better  fate.  To-day  such  a  hard 
sentence  is  seldom  passed.  The  ''  Commission 
des  Monuments  Historiques  "  sees  to  it  that  no 
such  desecrations  are  further  committed. 

Within  the  hospice  is  the  remarkably  sculp- 
tured tomb  of  Marguerite  de  Bourgogne;  as 
remarkably  done  in  fact  as  the  better  known 
ducal  tombs  at  Dijon,  and  those  of  the  figlise 
de  Brou  at  Bourg-en-Bresse.     The  workman- 


86  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

sMp  of  these  elaborate  sculptures  is  typical  of 
that  known  as  the  Ecole  de  Dijon. 

Tonnerre's  most  remarkable  sight  is  neither 
its  chateau,  nor  its  hospice,  at  least  not  accord- 
ing to  the  inhabitant.  There  is  nothing  to  the 
native  more  curious  or  interesting  to  see  than 
the  celebrated  Fosse  Dionne  (the  Fons  Diony- 
sius  of  the  ancients),  a  fountain  which  supplies 
the  city  with  an  abundance  of  fresh  water  com- 
ing from  no  one  knows  where,  but  spouting 
from  the  earth  like  a  geyser,  and  with  a  suffi- 
cient force  to  turn  a  couple  of  water-mills.  An 
ordinary  enough  bubbling  sjDring  is  interesting 
to  most  of  us,  so  that  one  enjoying  an  ancient 
and  mysterious  reputation  is  put  down  as 
a  local  curiosity  well  worth  coming  miles  to 
see. 

Half  a  dozen  kilometres  out  from  Tonnerre, 
on  the  road  to  Chatillon-sur-Seine,  is  the  Cha- 
teau de  Tanlay,  not  known  at  all  to  the  travel- 
lers by  express  trains  who  are  whisked  by  to 
Switzerland  with  never  as  much  as  a  slow-up  or 
a  whistle  as  they  pass  the  little  station  but  a 
short  distance  from  the  park  gates. 

The  Chateau  de  Tanlay  is  a  superb  relic  of 
a  sixteenth  century  work.  This  was  a  period 
when  architectural  art  had  become  debased  not 
a  little,  but  here  there  is  scarcelv  a  trace  of  its 


Tonnerre,  Tanlay  and  Ancy-le-Franc  87 

lia\Tiig  fallen  off  from  the  best  traditions  of  a 
couple  of  centuries  before.  It  is  this  fact,  and 
some  others,  that  makes  Tanlay  a  sight  not  to 
be  neglected  by  the  lover  of  old  chateaux. 

In  the  midst  of  a  great  flowered  and  shady 
park  sits  this  admirable  edifice  belonging  to  the 
descendants  of  the  family  of  Coligny.  It  was 
here,  to  be  precise,  that  the  Coligny  and  the 
Prince  de  Conde  leagued  themselves  together 
against  the  wily  Catherine  de  Medicis  and  her 
crew,  and  much  bad  blood  was  shed  on  both 
sides  before  they  got  en  rapport  again. 

The  Chateau  de  Tanlay  is  perhaps  the  finest, 
certainly  one  of  the  most  monumental,  chateaux 
of  Burgundy.  Frankly  Eenaissance,  the  best 
of  it  dating  from  1559,  it  was  begun  by  Coligny 
d'Andelot,  the  brother  of  the  "  Admiral." 

One  of  the  most  notable  of  its  constructive 
features  is  the  imposing  Tour  de  la  Ligue 
where,  previous  to  that  dread  Saint  Bartholo- 
mew's night,  the  Colignys  and  the  Prince  de 
Conde  and  their  followers  plotted  and  planned 
their  future  actions,  and  those  of  their  associ- 
ated Ligueurs. 

The  Marquis  de  Tanlay,  the  present  owner 
of  the  ancient  lands  of  the  Courtneys  of  royal 
race,  graciously  opens  the  portal  of  the  chateau 
that  the  world  of  curiosity-loving  folk  who  pass 


88  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

by  may  enter  if  they  will,  and  marvel  at  the 
delights  within. 

The  "  Terre  de  Tanlay  "  in  the  thirteenth, 
fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries  belonged  to 
the  de  Courtneys,  by  whom  it  was  sold  to  Louise 
de  Montmorency,  the  mother  of  the  Huguenot 
Admiral  of  Henri  IV.  This  latter,  in  1559, 
ceded  it  to  another  of  her  sons,  Frangois 
d'Andelot,  the  Coligny  who  began  the  work  of 
construction  of  the  chateau  forthwith.  In  157-4 
d'Andelot  bequeathed  the  unachieved  work  to 
Anne  de  Coligny,  the  wife  of  the  Marquis  de 
Mirabeau,  who,  still  working  on  the  original 
plans,  left  it  uncompleted  at  his  death  in  1630. 
His  daughter  Catherine  fell  heir  to  the  prop- 
erty, but  sold  it  five  years  later  to  Porticelli 
d'Hemery  —  Mazarin's  Surintendant  des  Fi- 
nances, who  called  in  the  architect  Lemuet  to 
carry  the  work  to  a  finish.  This  he  did,  or  at 
least  brought  it  practically  to  the  condition  in 
which  it  stands  to-day. 

The  name  of  Hemery  did  not  long  survive  as 
chatelain  of  the  property,  and  the  lands  passed 
by  letters  patent  to  the  Thevenin  family,  its 
present  owners,  who  were  able  to  have  the  fief 
made  into  a  marquisat.  The  chateau  fortu- 
nately escaped  Eevolutionary  destruction  and 
to-day  ranks  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  ex- 


Tonnerre,  Tanlay  and  Ancy-le-Franc    89 

amples  of  the  Eenaissance-Bourgnignonne  style 
of  domestic  architecture  to  be  seen. 

The  edifice  in  its  construction  and  exterior 
decoration  shows  plainly  its  transition  between 
the  moyen-age  manner  of  building  and  that 
which  is  considerably  more  modern.  It  is  tow- 
ered and  turreted  after  the  defensive  manner 
of  the  earliest  times,  and  moat  surrounded  in 
a  way  which  suggests  that  the  ornamental  water 
is  something  more  than  a  mere  accessory  in- 
tended to  please  the  eye.  Entrance  is  had  by  a 
bridge  over  this  moat  and  finally  into  the  Cour 
d'Honneur  through  a  fortified  gateway,  as 
pleasingly  artistic  in  its  disposition  as  it  is  ef- 
fective as  a  defence. 

Chiefly,  the  chateau  shows  to-day  d'Hemery's 
construction  of  the  seventeenth  century,  paid 
for,  says  one  authority,  by  silver  extorted  from 
the  poor  subjects  of  his  king  in  the  form  of  gen- 
eral taxes.  This  may  or  may  not  be  so,  but  as 
d'Hemery's  wealth  was  quickly  acquired  only 
when  he  had  need  of  it  to  build  this  great  cha- 
teau, it  is  quite  likely  that  some  of  it  came  from 
sources  which  might  never  otherwise  have  pro- 
duced a  personal  revenue. 

Another  distinct  portion  of  the  chateau  is 
that  arrived  at  through  the  Cour  d'Honneur, 
and  known  as  Le  Petit  Chateau,  a  sort  of  dis- 


90  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

tinct  pavilion,  a  beautiful  example  of  late  Re- 
naissance work  at  least  a  century  older  than  the 
main  fabric. 

Though  non-contemporary  in  its  parts,  the 
chateau  taken  entire  is  intensely  interesting  and 
satisfying  in  every  particular.  Furthermore, 
its  sylvan  site  is  still  preserved  much  as  it  was 
in  other  days,  and  its  alleyed  walks  are  the  same 
through  which  strolled  the  Colignys  and  the  de 
Courtneys  of  old.  Xo  sacrilege  has  been  com- 
mitted here  as  in  many  other  seigneurial  parks, 
where  more  than  one  virgin  forest  has  been  cut 
down  to  make  firewood,  or  perhaps  sold  to  bring 
in  gold  which  an  impoverished  scion  of  a  noble 
house  may  have  thought  he  needed.  One  ave- 
nue alone  of  this  great  park  runs  straight  as 
the  proverbial  flight  of  an  arrow,  only  ending  at 
the  chateau  portal  after  a  course  of  two  kilo- 
metres straightaway. 

The  park  in  turn  is  enclosed  by  a  wall  nearly 
six  kilometres  long,  and  the  chief  ornamental 
water  is  considerably  over  five  hundred  metres 
in  length,  and  merits  well  its  appellation  of 
Grand  Canal.  This  water  which  fills  the  moat 
and  surrounds  the  chateau  is  not  stagnant,  but 
flows  gently  from  the  Quincy  to  the  Armangon 
after  first  enveloping  the  property  in  its  folds. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  structure,  that  of 


Tonneire,  Tanlay  and  Ancy-le-Franc    91 

Lemuet,  is  imposingly  grand  with  its  central 
corps  de  logis  and  its  two  wings  which  advance 
to  join  np  with  the  extended  members  of  the 
Petit  Chateau,  forming  with  them  the  grand 
Cour  d'Honneur,  more  familiarly  known  as  the 
Cour  Verte. 

The  actual  entrance  is  known  as  the  Portail 
Xeuf  (1547)  and  serves  as  the  habitation  of  the 
concierge.  At  the  right  is  the  imposing  Tour 
de  la  Ligue  (1648)  and  to  the  left  the  Tour  des 
Archives,  each  enclosing  a  large  spiral  stair- 
way and  surmounted  by  a  dome  tenninated  with 
a  lanternon.  At  each  end  of  the  outer  fagade 
are  two  other  towers,  in  form  more  svelt  than 
those  in  the  courtyard. 

In  the  vestibule  within,  as  one  enters  the 
main  building,  are  the  marble  busts  of  eight 
Roman  Emperors,  of  little  interest  one  thinks 
in  a  place  where  one  would  expect  to  find  ef- 
figies of  the  former  illustrious  occupants  of  the 
chateau.  Various  trophies  of  the  chase  are 
hung  about  the  walls  of  this  corridor  and  are 
certainly  more  in  keeping  with  the  general  tone 
of  things  than  the  cold-cut  \'isages  of  the  noble 
Romans  before  mentioned. 

A  gallery  of  mythological  paintings  opens 
out  of  the  vestibule  and  leads  to  the  seventeenth 
century   chapel,    which    contains   a    '*  Descent 


92  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

from  the  Cross,"  by  Peregrin,  and  other  relig- 
ious paintings  of  the  Flemish  school.  Distrib- 
uted throughout  the  various  apartments  are 
nmnerous  paintings  and  portraits  by  Mignard, 
Nattier,  Philippe-de-Champaigne,  and  others, 
and  some  pastels  by  Quentin  de  la  Tour. 

The  chimney-pieces  throughout  are  notable 
for  their  gorgeousness ;  that  in  the  Chambre 
des  Archeveques,  at  least  a  dozen  feet  high,  is 
decorated  with  two  pairs  of  massive  caryatides 
and  other  statuettes  in  relief.  On  another  is 
a  carven  bust  of  Coligny,  the  Admiral,  with  a 
cast  of  countenance  suggesting  a  sinister  leer 
towards  the  statue  of  a  sphinx  which  is  sup- 
posed to  represent  the  features  of  Catherine  de 
Medicis. 

The  paintings  of  the  Tour  de  la  Ligue,  sup- 
posedly by  Primataccio,  representing  mytholog- 
ical divinities  in  the  personages  of  the  members 
of  the  court  of  the  Medicis,  bespeak  a  question- 
able taste  on  the  part  of  the  Colignys  who 
caused  them  to  be  put  there.  It  would  seem  as 
though  spite  had  been  carried  too  far,  or  that 
the  artist  was  given  carte  blanche  to  run  a  riot 
of  questionable  fantasy  for  which  no  one  stood 
responsible.  All  these  gods  and  goddesses  of 
the  court  are,  if  not  repulsive,  at  least  un- 
seemly effigies.     Catherine  herself  is  there  as 


Tonnerre,  Tanlay  and  Ancy-le-Franc    93 

Juno,  lier  son  Charles  IX  as  Pluto,  the  Admiral 
as  Hercules,  Guise  as  Mars,  and  Venus,  of 
course,  bears  the  features  of  the  huntress, 
Diane  de  Poitiers. 

About  as  far  south  from  Tonnerre  as  Tanlay 
is  to  the  eastward  is  Ancy-le-Franc.  It  is  in 
exactly  the  same  position  as  Tanlay;  its  charms 
are  pretty  generally  unknown  and  unsung,  but 
its  sixteenth  century  chateau  of  the  Clermont- 
Tonnerre  family  is  one  of  the  wonder  works  of 
its  era.  Rather  more  admirably  designed  to 
begin  with  than  many  of  its  confreres,  and  con- 
siderably less  overloaded  with  meaningless  or- 
nament, it  has  preserved  very  nearly  its  orig- 
inal aspect  without  and  within.  The  finest 
apartments  have  been  conserved  and  decorated 
to-day  with  many  fine  examples  of  the  best  of 
Renaissance  furnishings.  This  one  may  ob- 
serve for  himself  if  he,  or  she,  is  fortunate 
enough  to  gain  entrance,  a  procedure  not  im- 
possible of  accomplishment  though  the  edifice  is 
not  usually  reckoned  a  sight  by  the  guide-books. 

At  present  the  Marquis  de  Clermont-Ton- 
nerre  holds  possession  of  the  property,  and 
keeps  it  up  with  no  little  suggestion  of  its 
former  magnificent  state. 

If  not  notable  for  its  fine  suggestive  feudal 
nomenclature,   Ancy-le-Franc  certainly  claims 


94  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

that  distinction  by  reason  of  the  memories  of 
its  chateau,  which  dates  from  the  reign  of 
Henri  II.  Nearly  three-quarters  of  a  century 
were  given  to  its  inception.  Of  a  unique  spe- 
cies of  architecture,  presenting  from  without 
the  effect  of  a  series  of  squat  fagades,  orna- 
mented at  each  corner  with  a  two  storied  square 
pavilion,  it  is  sober  and  dignified  to  excess.  The 


Mo  o%^'\  f5li  I?  !  1= 


m 


Garoens 


interior  arrangements  are  likewise  unique  and 
equally  precise,  though  not  severe.  The  whole 
is  a  blend  of  the  best  of  dignified  Italian  mo- 
tives, for  in  truth  there  is  little  distinctively 
French  about  it,  and  nothing  at  all  Burgundian. 
The  structure  was  begun  by  the  then  ruling 
Comtes  de  Tonnerre  in  1555,  and  became  in 
1668  the  property  of  the  Marquis  de  Louvois, 
the  minister  of  Louis  XIV,  and  already  pro- 


Tonnerre,  Tanlay  and  Ancy-le-Franc    95 

prietor  of  the  countsliip  of  Tonnerre  which 
came  to  him  as  a  dot  upon  his  marriage  with 
the  rich  heiress  Anne  de  Souvre. 

The  gardens  and  park,  now  dismembered, 
were  once  much  more  extensive  and  followed 
throughout  the  conventional  Italian  motives  of 
the  period  of  their  designing.  Enough  is  left 
of  them  to  make  the  site  truly  enough  sylvan, 
but  with  their  curtailment  a  certain  aspect  of 
isolation  has  been  lost,  and  the  whole  property 
presents  rather  the  aspect  of  a  country  place  of 
modest  proportions  than  a  great  estate  of  vast 
extent. 

The  Chateau  de  Ancy-le-Franc  is  commonly 
accredited  as  one  of  the  few  edifices  of  its  im- 
portant rank  which  has  preserved  its  general 
aspect  uncontaminated  and  uncurtailed.  No 
parasitical  outgrowths,  or  additions,  have  been 
interpolated,  and  nothing  really  desirable  has 
been  lopped  off.  With  Chambord  and  Dam- 
pierre,  Ancy-le-Franc  stands  in  this  respect  in 
a  small  and  select  company.  Ancy-le-Franc  is 
even  now  much  the  same  as  it  was  when  An- 
drouet  du  Cerceau  included  a  drawing  of  it  in 
his  great  work  (1576),  ''  Les  Plus  Excellents 
Bastiments  de  France." 

He  was  an  architect  as  well  as  a  writer,  this 
Androuet   du   Cerceau,   and  he   said   further: 


96  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

**  For  my  part  I  know  no  other  minor  edifice 
so  much  to  my  liMng,  not  only  for  its  general 
arrangements  and  surroundings,  but  for  the 
dignified  formalities  which  it  possesses." 

Comte  Antoine  de  Clermont,  Grand  Maitre 
des  Eaux  et  Forets,  built  the  chateau  of  Ancy- 
le-Franc  on  the  plans  of  Primataccio,  probably 
in  1545,  certainly  not  later,  though  the  exact 
date  appears  to  be  doubtful.  That  Primataccio 
may  have  designed  the  building  there  is  little 
doubt,  as  he  is  definitely  known  to  have  con- 
tributed to  the  royal  chateaux  of  Fontainebleau 
and  Chambord.  For  a  matter  of  three-quarters 
of  a  century  the  edifice  was  in  the  construction 
period  however,  and  since  Primataccio  died  in 
1570  it  is  improbable  that  he  carried  out  the 
decorations,  a  class  of  work  upon  which  he 
made  his  great  reputation,  for  the  simple  rea- 
son that  they  were  additions  or  interpolations 
which  came  near  the  end  of  the  construction 
period.  This  observation  probably  holds  true 
with  the  decorations  attributed  to  the  Italian  at 
neighbouring  Tanlay.  It  may  be  that  Prima- 
taccio only  furnished  sketches  for  these  decora- 
tions and  that  another  hand  actually  executed 
them.  Historical  records  are  often  vague  and 
indefinite  with  regard  to  such  matters.  Again, 
since  Primataccio  was  chieflv  known  as  a  deco- 


Tonnerre,  Tanlay  and  Ancy-le-Franc    97 

rator  the  doubt  is  justly  cast  upon  his  actually 
having  been  the  designer  of  Ancy-le-Franc.  It 
is  all  very  vague,  one  must  admit  that,  in  spite 
of  claims  and  counterclaims. 

All  things  considered,  this  chateau  ranks  as 
one  of  the  most  notable  in  these  parts.  The 
surrounding  Trails  bathe  their  forefoot  in  the 
waters  of  the  Armangon  and  thus  give  it  a  de- 
fence of  value  and  importance,  though  the  prop- 
erty was  never  used  for  anything  more  than  a 
luxurious  country  dwelling. 

Built,  or  at  any  rate  designed,  by  an  artist 
who  was  above  all  a  painter,  its  walls  and  pla- 
fonds naturally  took  on  an  abundance  of  deco- 
rative detail.  For  this  reason  the  chateau  of 
Ancy-le-Franc,  if  for  no  other,  is  indeed  re- 
markable. Two  of  its  great  rooms  have  been 
celebrated  for  centuries  among  art-lovers  and 
experts,  the  Chambre  des  Fleurs,  with  its  elab- 
orately panelled  ceiling,  and  that  of  Pastor 
Fido,  whose  walls  show  eight  great  paintings 
depicting  the  scenes  of  a  pastoral  romance. 
The  Chambre  du  Cardinal  contains  a  portrait 
of  Richelieu,  and  the  Chambre  des  Arts  is  gar- 
nished most  ornately  throughout.  The  mono- 
grams and  devises  of  the  ceiling  of  the  Chambre 
des  Fleurs  suggest  the  various  alliances  of  the 
Clermonts,  but  the  painted  arms  are  those  of 


98  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 


the  Louvois,  who  substituted  their  own  marque 
for  that  of  the  Clermonts  wherever  it  could 
readily  be  done. 

The  present  Marquis  de  Clermont-Tonnerre 
has  ably  restored  the  chateau  of  his  ancestors 
and  put  the  family  arms  for  the  great  part 
back  where  they  belong.  His  arms  are  as  fol- 
lows: ''  De  gueules  aux  deux  clefs  d'argent  en 
sautoir  avec  la  tiare  pour  cimier."  The  motto 
is  '"  Etsi  omnes  ego  non."    These  arms  were 


Monograms  from  the  Chambre  des  Fleurs 

originally  conceded  to  Sibaut  11  de  Clermont 
by  Pope  Calixtus  II  in  recognition  of  his  hav- 
ing chased  the  Anti-Pope  Gregoire  YTil  from 
Rome  in  1120. 

In  the  Salle  des  Empereurs  Remains  are  a 
series  of  paintings  of  Roman  Emperors  which 
makes  one  think  that  Tanlay's  sculptured 
Roman  busts  must  have  set  the  fashion  here- 
abouts or  vice  versa. 


Tonnerre,  Tanlay  and  Ancy-le-Franc    99 

The  Bibliotheque  contains  a  remarkable  folio 
showing  plans  and  views  of  the  chateaux  of 
Ancy-le-Franc  and  Tonnerre,  the  latter  since 
destroyed  as  we  have  found. 

In  the  Chapel,  dedicated  to  Sainte  Cecile,  are 
a  series  of  admirable  painted  panels  of  the  apos- 
tles and  prophets,  a  favourite  religious  decora- 
tive motif  in  these  parts,  as  one  readily  recalls 
by  noting  the  Puits  de  Moise  and  the  tomb  of 
the  Burgundian  dukes  at  Dijon,  the  inspiration 
doubtless  of  all  other  similar  works  since. 

The  Grand  Salon  of  to-day  was  once  the 
sleeping  apartment  of  Louis  XIV  when  one  day 
he  honoured  the  chateau  with  his  presence. 

A  dozen  kilometres  south  from  Ancy-le- 
Franc  is  Xuits-sous-Eavieres.  Xuits,  curiously 
enough,  a  name  more  frequently  seen  on  the 
wine-lists  of  first  class  restaurants  than  else- 
where, here  in  the  heart  of  Burgundy,  is  sup- 
posedly of  German  origin.  Its  original  inhab- 
itants were  Germans  coming  from  Xeuss  in 
Prussia,  whose  inhabitants  are  called  Xuych- 
tons,  whilst  those  of  Nuits  are  known  as  Nui- 
tons.  Again,  near  Berne,  in  Switzerland,  is  a 
region  Imown  as  Xuitland,  which  would  at  least 
add  strength  to  the  assertion  of  a  Teuton  ori- 
gin for  this  smiling  little  wine-growing  com- 
munitv  of  the  celebrated  Cote  d'Or. 


100  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Nuits  possesses  a  minor  chateau  which  to  all 
intents  and  purposes  fulfils,  at  a  cursory  glance, 
its  object  admirably.  It  is  a  comfortably  dis- 
posed and  not  unelegant  country  house  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  sitting  in  a  fine,  shady  park 
and  looks  as  habitable  as  it  really  is,  though  it 
possesses  no  historical  souvenirs  of  note. 

A  fortified  gateway  leads  from  the  north  end 
of  the  town  towards  Champagne,  Nuits  being 
on  the  borderland  between  the  possessions  of 
the  Dues  de  Bourgogne  and  those  of  the  Comtes 
de  Champagne. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

IN    OLD    BURGUNDY 

Burgundy  has  ever  been  known  as  a  land  of 
opulence.  Since  the  middle  ages  its  richesse 
has  been  sung  by  poets  and  people  alike.  There 
is  an  old  Burgundian  proverb  which  runs  as 
follows : 

"  Riche  de  Chalon 

Nohle  de  Vienne 

Preux  de  Vergy 

Fin  de  Neufchatel 
Et  la  maison  de  Beaufremont 
D'ou  sont  sortis  les  hauts  barons.' 


The  Burgundians  were  first  of  all  vandals, 
but  with  their  alliance  with  the  Romans  in  the 

101 


102  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy- 
fifth  century  they  became  a  people  distinct  and 
apart,  and  of  a  notable  degree  of  civilization. 
They  established  themselves  first  in  Savoy,  a 
gift  to  them  of  the  Emperor  Valentinian,  and 
made  Geneva  the  capital  of  their  kingdom. 

A  new  Burgundian  kingdom  of  vast  extent 
came  into  being  under  the  Frankish  kings ;  this 
second  dynasty  of  Burgundian  rulers  finally 
came  to  the  French  throne  itself.  In  the  mean- 
time they  held,  through  their  powerful  line  of 
dukes,  the  governorship  of  the  entire  province 
with  a  power  that  was  absolute,  —  a  power  that 
was  only  equalled  by  that  of  independent  sov- 
ereigns.   The  Burgundians  were  no  vassal  race. 

The  hereditary  Dues  de  Bourgogne  reigned 
from  721  to  1361,  during  which  period  the  duchy 
rose  to  unwonted  heights  of  richness  and  lux- 
ury as  well  as  esteem  by  its  neighbours.  Under 
the  Frankish  line  the  career  of  the  province 
was  no  less  brilliant,  and  when  the  King  of 
France  gave  the  duchy  to  his  third  son  Philippe, 
that  prince  showed  himself  so  superior  in  abil- 
ity that  he  would  treat  with  his  suzerain  father 
only  as  an  equal  in  power. 

In  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV  the  eldest  son  of 
the  house  of  France  bore  again  the  title  Due 
de  Bourgogne,  his  grandson,  born  in  1751,  be- 
ing the  last  prince  to  be  so  acknowledged. 


In  Old  Burgundy  103 

Burgundy  in  17S9  still  formed  one  of  the 
great  ''  gouvernements  "  of  the  France  of  that 
day,  and  in  addition  was  recognized  in  its  own 
right  as  a  Pays  d'fitat.  With  the  new  portion- 
ing out  of  old  France  under  Revolutionary  rule 
the  old  Burgundian  province  became  the  mod- 
ern Departements  of  the  Cote  d'Or,  the  Saone 
et  Loire  and  the  Yonne. 

The  Burgundian  nobles  who  made  Dijon 
their  residence  in  Eenaissance  times  lived  well, 
one  may  be  sure,  with  such  a  rich  larder  as  the 
heart  of  Burgundy  was,  and  is,  at  their  door. 
There  is  no  granary,  no  wine-cellar  in  France 
to  rival  those  of  the  Cote  d'Or.  The  shop- 
keepers of  Dijon,  the  fournisseurs  of  the  court, 
supplied  only  the  best.  The  same  is  true  of  the 
shop-keepers  of  these  parts  to-day,  whatever 
may  be  their  line  of  trade.  Even  the  religious 
institutions  of  old  were,  if  not  universal  pro- 
viders, at  least  purveyors  of  many  of  the  good 
things  of  the  table.  When  the  monks  of  Saint 
Beninge  sent  out  their  lay  brothers,  sandalled 
and  cowled,  to  call  in  the  streets  of  Dijon  the 
wines  of  the  convent  vineyards  not  a  wine 
dealer  was  allowed  to  compete  with  them.  This 
made  for  fair  dealing,  a  fine  quality  of  mer- 
chandise and  a  full  measure  at  other  times,  no 
doubt.    The  monks  who  sold  this  product  were 


104  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

accompanied  by  a  surpliced  cleric  who  fan- 
fared  a  crowd  around  him  and  announced  his 
wine  by  extolling  its  virtues  as  if  he  was  chant- 
ing a  litany. 

In  Burgundy  there  has  come  down  from  feu- 
dal times  a  series  of  sobriquets  which,  more 
than  in  any  other  part  of  France,  have  endured 
unto  this  time.  There  were  the  ''  huveurs  "  of 
Auxerre,  the  ''  escuyers  "  of  Burgundy  and 
the  "  moqueurs  "  of  Dijon.  All  of  these  are 
terms  which  are  locally  in  use  to-day. 

The  Bourgiiignons  in  the  fifth  century,  by  a 
preordained  custom,  wore,  suspended  by  cords 
or  chains  from  their  belts,  the  keys  of  their 
houses,  the  knives  which  served  them  at  table 
as  well  as  for  the  hunt  (forks  were  not  then  in- 
vented, or  at  any  rate  not  in  common  use),  their 
purse,  more  or  less  fat  with  silver  and  gold, 
their  sword  and  their  ink-well  and  pens;  all 
this  according  to  their  respective  stations  in 
life.  When  one  was  condemned  for  a  civil  con- 
travention before  a  judge  he  was  made  to  de-  « 
posit  his  belt  and  its  dangling  accessories  as  an 
act  of  acknowledgment  of  his  incapacity  to 
properly  conduct  his  affairs.  It  was  no  sign 
of  infamy  or  lack  of  probity,  but  simply  an  in- 
dication of  a  lack  of  business  sagacity.  It  was 
the  same,  even,  with  royalty  and  the  noblesse 


In  Old  Burgundy  105 

as  with  the  common  people,  and  the  act  was 
applied  as  well  to  women  as  men.  The  Du- 
chesse  de  Bourgogne,  widow  of  Philippe-le- 
Hardi,  who  died  covered  with  debts  brought 
about  by  his  generosity,  admitted  also  that  she 
was  willing  to  share  the  responsibilities  of  his 
faults  by  renouncing  certain  of  her  rights  and 
deposition  on  his  tomb  of  his  ceinture,  his  keys 
and  his  purse. 

Isabelle  de  Baviere,  who  owed  so  much  to  a 
Due  de  Bourgogne  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
was  criticised  exceedingly  when  she  came 
among  his  peoj^le  because  of  the  luxury  of  pos- 
sessing two  "  chemises  de  toile,"  the  women  of 
the  court  at  the  time  —  in  Burgundy  at  all 
events  —  dressing  with  the  utmost  simplicity. 
"With  what  degree  of  simplicity  one  can  only 
imagine ! 

Another  luxury  in  these  parts  in  mediaeval 
times  was  the  use  of  candles.  TVliat  artificial 
light  was  made  use  of  in  a  domestic  manner 
came  from  resinous  torches,  and  cires  and  can- 
dles were  used  only  in  the  churches,  or  perhaps 
in  the  oratories,  or  private  chapels,  of  the  cha- 
teaux. 

The  homes  of  the  Burgundian  bourgeoisie 
were  hardly  as  luxuriant  or  magnificent  as 
those  of  the  nobles,  nor  were  they  as  comfort- 


106  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

ably  disposed  in  many  instances  as  one  would 
expect  to  learn  of  this  land  of  ease  and  plenty. 
Frequently  there  was  no  board  flooring,  no 
tiles,  no  iDaving  of  flag  stones,  even.  A  simple 
hard-pounded  clay  floor  served  the  humble 
householder  for  his  rez-de-cliaussee.  In  the 
more  splendid  Renaissance  town  houses,  or  even 
in  many  neighbouring  chateaux,  it  was  not  in- 
frequent that  the  same  state  of  affairs  existed, 
but  sheaves  or  bunches  of  straw  were  scattered 
about,  giving  the  same  sort  of  warmth  that 
straw  gives  when  spread  in  the  bottom  of  an 
omnibus.  If  a  \dsitor  of  importance  was  ex- 
pected fresh  straw  was  laid  down,  but  this  was 
about  all  that  was  done  to  make  him  comfort- 
able. Otherwise  the  straw  was  generally  of 
the  Augean  stable  variety,  since  it  was  usually 
renewed  but  three  times  during  the  cold  season, 
which  here  lasts  from  three  to  five  months  out 
of  the  twelve.  In  time  a  sort  of  woven  or 
plaited  straw  carpet  came  into  use,  then  square 
flags  and  tiles,  and  finally  rugs,  or  tapis,  which, 
in  part,  covered  the  chilly  flooring.  Elsewhere, 
as  the  rugs  came  into  the  more  wealthy  houses, 
plain  boards,  sometimes  polished,  served  their 
purpose  much  as  they  do  now. 

Only  the  rich  had  glazed  windows.    The  first 
window  glass   used  in  France  was  imported 


In  Old  Burgundy  107 

from  Englaud  iu  the  twelfth  century,  at  which 
time  it  was  reckoned  as  one  of  the  greatest  of 
domestic  luxuries. 

Chimneys,  too,  were  wanting  from  the  houses 
of  the  poor.  Houses  with  windows  without 
ghiss,  and  entirely  without  chimneys,  must  have 
lacked  comfort  to  a  very  great  degree.  Such 
indeed  exist  to-day,  though,  in  many  parts  of 
France.  This  is  fact !  A  sort  of  open  grate  in 
a  lean-to  outside  the  house,  and  iron  barred 
open  windows  without  even  shutters  are  to  be 
found  in  many  places  throughout  the  Midi  of 
France.  One  such  the  writer  knows  in  a  town 
of  three  thousand  inhabitants,  and  it  is  occupied 
by  a  prosperous  "  decorated  "  Frenchman. 
What  comfort,  or  discomfort! 

The  Burgundian  householder  of  mediaeval 
times  sat  with  his  family  huddled  around  a 
great  brazier  upon  which  burned  wood  or  char- 
coal. The  rising  smoke  disappeared  through 
a  hole  in  the  centre  of  the  roof  in  primitive  red- 
man's  fashion. 

As  late  as  the  fifteenth  century  there  were  no 
individual  chairs  in  any  but  the  most  prosper- 
ous and  pretentious  homes.  Their  place  was 
taken  by  benches,  and  these  mostly  without 
backs. 

Chieflv  the  meaner  houses  were  built  of  wood 


108  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

and  tliatched  after  the  manner  of  such  thatched 
roofs  as  exist  to-day,  but  with  less  symmetry, 
one  judges  from  the  old  prints. 

All  the  world  and  his  wife  retired  early. 
This  one  learns  from  the  Burgundian  proverb 
already  old  in  the  time  of  Louis  XII. 

"Lever  a  cinq,  diner  a  neuf 
Souper  d  cinq,  coucher  a  neuf 
Fait  vivre  d^ans  nonante  et  neuf.'^ 

This  is  probably  as  true  to-day  as  it  was  then 
if  one  had  the  courage  to  live  up  to  it  and  find 
out. 

The  ancient  reputation  of  the  wine  of  Bur- 
gundy dates  back  centuries  and  centuries  before 
the  juice  of  the  grape  became  the  common  drink 
of  the  French.  During  the  famous  schism 
which  di^^ded  the  Church  in  the  fourteenth  and 
fifteenth  centuries,  the  Due  de  Bourgogne,  Phi- 
lippe-le-Hardi,  was  deputed,  in  1395,  to  present 
to  Pope  Benoit  XIII,  then  living  at  Avignon  in 
the  Comtat,  '*  rich  presents  and  twenty  queues 
of  the  wine  of  Beaune." 

History  and  romance  have  been  loud  in  their 
praises  of  the  rich  red  wines  of  Burgundy  ever 
since  the  dawn  of  gormandizing.  Petrarch 
has  said  that  his  best  inspirations  and  senti- 
ments came  from  the  wine  of  Beaune,  and  the 


In  Old  Burgundy  109 

Avignon  Popes  lengthened  their  sojourn  in 
their  Papal  City  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhone 
because  of  the  easy  transport  and  the  low  price 
of  the  fine  wines  of  Beaune.  "  There  is  not  in 
Italy, ' '  they  said,  *  *  the  wine  of  Beaune  nor  the 
means  of  getting  it." 

The  heart  of  old  Burgundy,  that  is,  the  Cote 
d'Or  of  to-day,  is  the  region  of  France  the  most 
densely  wooded  after  the  Vosges.  Great  for- 
ests exploited  for  their  wood  are  everywhere, 
oak  and  beech  predominating.  Only  the  co- 
teaux,  the  low-lying  hillsides,  where  the  vines 
are  chiefly  grown,  are  bare  of  forest  growth. 

Two  great  rivers  cross  the  province  from 
north  to  south,  and  two  from  east  to  west,  the 
Aube,  the  Dheune,  the  Saone  and  the  Vin- 
geanne,  and  the  Seine  itself  takes  birth  between 
Saint  Seine  and  Chanceaux,  this  last,  like 
most  of  the  great  rivers  of  Europe,  being  but 
a  humble  ri\Tilet  at  the  commencement.  Two 
canals  furnish  an  economical  means  of  com- 
munication, and  are  really  remarkable  water- 
ways. The  Canal  de  Bourgogne  joins  up 
the  Saone  and  the  Seine,  and  more  impor- 
tant still  is  that  which  joins  the  Ehone  and 
Rhine. 

Eight  ''  Routes  Royales  "  crossed  the  pro- 
vince in  old  monarchical  days,  and  where  once 


110  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy- 
rolled  princely  corteges  now  wMz  automobiles 
without  count. 

In  the  seventeenth  century  from  Paris  to 
Dijon  was  a  journey  of  eight  days  in  winter 
and  seven  in  sununer,  by  the  malle-poste.  One 
departure  a  week  served  what  traffic  there  was, 
and  the  price  was  twenty-four  livres  (francs) 
a  head,  with  baggage  charged  at  three  sols  a 
pound.  The  departure  from  Paris  was  from 
the  old  auberge  ''  Aux  Quatre  Fils  Aymon," 
and  more  frequently  than  not  the  announce- 
ments read  that  the  coach  would  leave  "  as  soon 
as  possible  "  after  the  appointed  hour. 

Whatever  feudal  reminiscence  may  linger  in 
the  minds  of  the  readers  of  old  chronicles  let 
no  one  forget  that  France  in  general,  and  Bur- 
gundy in  particular,  is  no  longer  a  land  of  pov- 
erty where  everybody  but  the  capitalist  has  to 
pick  up  fagots  for  fires.  Far  from  it ;  the  peas- 
ant here^abouts,  the  worker  in  the  fields,  may 
lack  many  of  the  commonly  accepted  luxuries 
of  life,  but  he  eats  and  drinks  as  abundantly  as 
the  seemingly  more  prosperous  dweller  in  the 
towns,  and  if  not  of  meat  three  times  a  day 
(the  worn-out,  threadbare  argument  of  the 
English  and  American  traveller  who  looks  not 
below  the  surface  in  continental  Europe)  it  is 
because  he  doesn't  crave  it.     That  he  is  the 


In  Old  Burgundy  111 

better  in  mind  and  body  for  the  lack  of  it  goes 
without  saying. 

The  valley  of  the  Saone  above  Dijon  is  a 
paradise  of  old  fiefs  of  counts  and  dukes.  Al- 
most every  kilometre  of  its  ample  course  bears 
a  local  name  allied  with  some  seigneur  of  feu- 
dal days.  The  whole  watershed  is  historic,  ro- 
mantic ground.  Mantoche  was  the  site  of  a 
Cite  Romain;  Apremont  gave  birth  to  one  of 
the  most  prolific  of  romancers,  Xavier  de 
Montepin,  a  litterateur  who  wrote  mostly  for 
concierges  and  shop  girls  of  a  couple  of  genera- 
tions ago,  but  a  name  famous  in  the  annals  of 
French  literature  nevertheless. 

Lea^^.ng  the  country  of  the  minor  counts  the 
Saone  enters  into  Basse  Bourgogne,  taking  on 
at  various  stages  of  its  career  the  name  of 
Petite  Saone,  Saone  Superieur  or  Grande 
Saone.  All  told  it  has  a  navigable  length  of 
nearly  four  hundred  kilometres,  making  it  one 
of  France's  mightiest  chemins  qui  marclie,  to 
borrow  Napoleon's  phrase. 

The  entire  heart  of  old  Burgundy  above  Di- 
jon, the  plain  that  is,  is  most  curiously  sown 
with  cultures  of  a  variety  that  one  would  hardly 
expect  to  find. 

Here  and  there  a  chateau  de  commerce,  as 
the  French  distinguish  the  ''  iime-chateaicx  " 


112  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

from  the  purely  domestic  establishments  and 
the  "  monuments  historiques  "  of  which  the 
French  government  is  so  justly  proud,  crops 
up  surrounded  by  its  vineyards,  with  its  next 
door  neighbour,  perhaps,  an  exploitation  of 
hops,  the  principal  ingredient  of  beer,  as  the 
grape  is  of  wine.  The  paradox  is  as  inexplic- 
able, as  is  the  fact  that  Dijon  is  famous  for 
mustard  when  not  a  grain  of  it  is  grown  nearer 
the  Cote  d'Or  than  India. 

It  is  true  that  Dijon  is  noted  quite  as  much 
for  its  mustard  and  its  gingerbread  as  for  its 
sculpture.  The  Ecole  Dijonnais  is  supreme  in 
all  three  specialties.  The  historic  figure,  '^  mus- 
tardmaker  to  the  Pope,"  has  caused  many  a 
**  rire  hourguignon  " ;  nevertheless  the  pre- 
paring of  Dijon  mustard  is  a  good  deal  of  a 
secret  still,  as  all  who  know  the  subtleness  of 
this  particular  condiment  recognize  full  well. 

The  mustard  pots  of  Dijon,  even  those  of 
commonest  clay,  are  veritable  works  of  art.  It 
would  pay  some  one  to  collect  them.  The  ' '  Fon- 
taine de  Jouvence,"  which  one  may  buy  for 
thirty  sous  at  the  railway  buffet,  is  indeed  a 
gem;  another,  blazoned  with  the  arms  of  Bur- 
gundy, and  the  legend  ''  Moult  me  tarde," 
followed  by  '*  d'y  gouster  "  is  no  less. 


CHAPTER   IX 


DIJON,  THE   CITY   OF   THE  DUKES 

Of  no  city  of 
France  are  there 
more  splendid 
ducal  memories 
than  of  Dijon. 
To  the  French 
historians  it  has 
ever  "been  known 
as  "  the  city  of 
■VAuufiNG  t^e  glorious 
TDijoA.^  dukes."  It  is 
one  of  the  cities  which  has  best  conserved  its 
picturesque  panoramic  silhouette  in  Europe. 
Certainly  no  other  of  the  cities  of  modern 
France  can  approach  it  in  this  respect.  Its 
strikingly  mediaeval  skyline  serrated  with 
spires,  donjon  and  gables  innumerable  gives 
it  a  cachet  all  its  own.  Its  situation,  too,  is 
remarkable,  lying  as  it  does  snugly  wrapped 
between  the  mountain  and  the  plain  by  the 
flanks    of    the    gently    rolling    coteaux    round 

113 


114  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

about.  Dijon  is  still  a  veritable  reminder  of 
the  moyen-age  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  count- 
less of  its  palaces,  towers  and  clochers  have  dis- 
appeared with  the  march  of  time  and  the  insist- 
ent movement  of  progress. 

This  was  less  true  a  generation  or  so  ago. 
Then  the  city's  old  ramparts  were  intact.  To- 
day not  more  than  a  scant  area  of  house  front 
or  garden  wall  suggests  the  one  time  part  that 
the  same  stones  played  in  the  glory  of  war  and 
siege.  Nearby,  too,  the  contemplation  of  Dijon 
evokes  the  same  emotions  in  spite  of  a  monoto- 
nous modernity  to  be  seen  in  the  new  quarters 
of  the  town,  where  all  is  a  dull  drab  in  strong 
contrast  to  the  liveliness  of  the  colouring  of  the 
older  parts.  Dijon,  take  it  all  in  all,  is  indeed 
a  museum  of  architectural  splendours. 

"  JVous  alliona  admirant  clochers,  portnils  et  tours, 
Et  les  vielles  maisons  dans  les  arrierp  cours." 

Thus  said  Saint-Beauve,  and  any  who  come 
this  way  to-day,  and  linger  long  enough  in  the 
city  of  the  dukes,  may  well  take  it  for  their 
text. 

After  many  and  diverse  fortunes  Dijon  be- 
came the  capital  of  the  Duche  de  Bourgogne  in 
1015  under  Due  Robert,  the  first  of  the  line  of 
Burgundian  dukes,  known  as  the  dukes  of  the 


Dijon,  the  City  of  the  Dukes      115 

premiere  nice  royale.  This  particular  Robert 
was  the  grandson  of  Ungues  Capet.  Twelve 
princes  in  succession  (until  1349)  ruled  the  des- 
tinies of  the  dukedom  from  the  capital,  and 
showered  upon  its  inhabitants  benefits  galore. 
At  this  time  Philippe  de  Rouvres  came  into  the 
control  of  the  duchy,  under  the  tutelage  of  his 
mother,  Jeanne  de  Bourgogne. 

One  reads  in  the  *'  Role  des  Depenses  "  of 
1392  unmistakable  facts  which  point  to  the 
luxury  which  surrounded  the  court  of  Bur- 
gundy in  the  fourteenth  century.  Particularly 
is  this  so  with  regard  to  the  garde-rohe  of 
Philippe-le-Hardi,  wherein  all  his  costumes,  in- 
cluding the  trappings  of  his  horses,  were  gar- 
nished with  real  gold.  Manj^  other  attributes 
went  to  make  up  the  gorgeous  properties  of  this 
admirable  stage  setting.  There  was  an  elabor- 
ate "  chaine  a  porter  reliques  "  and  ''  la  bonne 
ceinture  de  Monseigneur  Saint  Louis  "  to  be 
counted  among  the  tresor  of  the  court. 

Amid  all  this  sumptuousness  there  was  a 
notable  regard  for  the  conservation  and  safe- 
guarding of  governmental  funds  and  property. 
This  is  to  be  remarked  the  more  because  of  the 
fact  that  the  overlord  generally  took  for  his 
own,  and  that  of  his  heirs,  all  that  came  within 
his  immediate  presence.  The  Burgundian  dukes 


116  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

at  Dijon  administered  their  rule  with  prudence 
and  good  judgment  in  all  particulars  until  the 
Duche  and  the  neighbouring  Comte  (afterwards 
the  Franche  Comte)  stood  almost  alone  among 
the  European  states  of  their  time  in  not  being 
obliged  to  own  to  a  profligate  hierarchy  of 
administrators. 

In  all  phases  of  their  history  the  Dijonnais 
have  ever  been  jealous  of  their  personal  liber- 
ties. Frangois  Premier,  a  prisoner  at  Madrid, 
had  ceded  Burgundy  as  a  part  of  unwillingly 
given  ransom  to  Charles  Quint,  who  had  al- 
ready acquired  the  Franche  Comte.  The  Dijon 
parliament  would  hear  nothing  of  such  a  pro- 
ject, and  energetically  refused  to  ratify  the 
treaty,  sending  their  deputies  to  Cognac,  to 
the  convention  which  had  been  called,  in  pro- 
test. 

Dijon's  chateau  was  first  built  by  Louis  XI 
to  hold  in  leash  his  "  bonne  ville  de  Dijon.'' ^ 
The  edifice  was  only  completed  in  1572,  under 
Louis  XII,  It  was  in  its  prime,  judging  from 
historical  descriptions,  a  most  curious  example 
of  fifteenth  century  military  architecture.  The 
Dijonnais  of  late  years  demanded  the  suppres- 
sion, and  the  clearing  away,  of  the  debris  of 
this  old  royal  chateau,  believing  (wrongly  of 
course)    that  the  ducal  palace  was   sufficient 


Dijon,  the  City  of  the  Dukes      117 

to  sustain  the  glory  of  their  city.  Accordingly, 
there  remains  nothing  to-day  of  the  chateau  of 
the  Louis  but  a  scant  funeral  pile  built  up  from 
the  stones  of  the  former  chateau  merely  as  a 
historical  guide  post,  or  rather,  memorial  of 
what  has  once  been.  Historical  enthusiasm  and 
much  palavering  on  the  part  of  a  certain  body 
of  local  antiquarians  against  the  popular  wave 
of  feeling,  could  accomplish  no  more  of  a  res- 
toration. For  the  past  fifty  years  the  ruin  has 
been,  it  is  true,  something  of  an  eye-sore,  an 
ill-kept,  badly  guarded,  encumbering  ruin,  and 
unless  it  maj^  be  better  taken  care  of,  it  would 
be  as  well  to  have  it  removed. 

In  form  this  chateau  was  a  perfectly  rect- 
angular tower,  sustained  at  each  corner  by 
a  round  tower  of  lesser  proportions.  As  a 
whole  it  was  one  of  the  most  massive  works  of 
its  era  in  these  parts.  Its  defence  towards  the 
north  was  a  great  horse-shoe  shaped  redoubt, 
a  most  unusual  and  most  efficient  rampart. 
Towards  the  city  it  was  defended  by  a  moat 
over  which  one  entered  the  chateau  proper  by 
the  traditional  drawbridge. 

The  vast  monumental  pile  at  Dijon  which 
bears  the  name  of  Hotel  de  Ville  to-day  has 
been  variously  known  as  the  Palais  des  Dues, 
the  Logis  du  Eoi  and  the  Palais  des  fitats.    It 


118  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy- 
has  served  all  three  purposes  and  served  them 
well  and  with  becoming  dignity. 

The  exact  origin  of  the  structure  has  been 
left  behind  in  the  dim  distance,  but  it  is  certain 
that  it  was  the  outgrowth  of  some  sort  of  a 
foundation  which  existed  as  early  as  the  tenth 
century,  a  period  long  before  the  coming  of  the 
so-called  chateau. 

In  the  twelfth  century  Hugues  III  built  the 
Sainte  Chapelle,  all  vestiges  of  which,  save  cer- 
tain decorative  elements  built  into  the  eastern 
wall  of  the  Palais  des  Dues,  have  now  disap- 
peared. 

Philippe-le-Hardi,  in  1366,  almost  entirely 
rebuilt  the  palace  as  it  then  existed,  and  Phi- 
lippe-le-Bon  actually  did  complete  the  work  in 
1420,  when  the  great  square  Tour  de  la  Ter- 
rasse,  of  a  height  of  nearly  fifty  metres,  was 
built.  There  is  still  existing  another  minor 
tower,  the  Tour  de  Bar,  so  named  from  the  fact 
that  for  three  years  it  was  the  prison  of  Eene 
d'Anjou,  the  Due  de  Bar.  In  1407  and  1502 
this  tower  was  nearly  destroyed  by  fire,  which 
carried  away  as  well  a  great  part  of  the  main 
structure  of  that  time. 

The  edifice  is  to-day  occupied  by  many  civic 
departments,  including  the  Musee,  the  Archives 
and  the  Ecole  des  Beaux  Arts,  but  the  Salle  des 


Dijon,  the  City  of  the  Dukes      119 


Gardes  and  the  *'  Cuisines  des  Dues  "  still  re- 
main, as  to  their  general  outlines  of  walls  and 
ceilings,  as  they  were  when  they  served  the 
dukes  themselves. 

The  present  edifice,  in  spite  of  being  known 
as  the  Ducal  Palace,  was  not  inhabited  by  any 
of  the  nobles  of  the  first  race ;  there  is  no  part 
which  dates  from  so  early  a  period  as  that  of 

the   end   even   of  

their  regime. 


© 


u 


c 


B 


The 

most    ancient    of 

the     elements  ^„.„„^, 
,   .     ,    .  ,     CUI51NES 

which  formerly       ^ 

made  up  the  col-  ^DHON 
lective  block  of 
buildings  was  the 
Sainte  Chapelle, 
which  was  demol- 
ished in  1802,  and 
the  rez-de-chaussee  of  the  Tour  de  Bar,  which 
still  exists.  The  lower  part  of  this  tower  dates 
from  the  thirteenth  century,  the  upper  portions 
from  the  fourteenth. 

From  the  ducal  account  books  it  appears  that 
the  portions  known  as  the  "  Cuisines  "  —  ac- 
tually housing  the  Musee  Lapidaire  to-day  — 
were  constructed  in  1445,  and  it  is  this  part  of 
the  old  palace  which  is  the  most  interesting 


120  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

because  it  best  illustrates  the  manner  of  build- 
ing hereabouts  at  that  period. 

The  Burgundian  court  attached  great  impor- 
tance to  the  service  at  table,  and  during  the  fif- 
teenth century  there  was  not  in  all  of  Europe 
a  line  of  princes  who  were  better  fed  or  got 
more  satisfaction  from  the  joys  of  the  table. 
This  is  historic  fact,  not  mere  conjecture !  The 
descriptions  of  the  f  est  ins  which  were  given  by 
the  Dues  de  Bourgogne  and  described  in  the 
*'  Memoires  d 'Olivier  de  la  Marche  "  make  in- 
teresting reading  to  one  who  knows  anything 
of,  and  has  any  liking  for,  the  chronicles  of 
gastronomy. 

For  such  a  bountiful  serving  at  table  as  was 
habitual  with  the  dukes,  kitchens  of  the  most 
ample  proportions  were  demanded.  It  is  re- 
counted that  on  many  occasions  certain  of  the 
mets  were  cooked  in  advance,  but  a  prodigious 
supply  of  soups,  ragouts  and  sauces,  of  fish, 
volaille,  and  rolls  were  of  necessity  to  be  pre- 
pared at  the  moment  of  consumption.  To  pro- 
duce these  in  their  proper  order  and  condition 
was  the  work  of  an  army  of  cooks  supported 
by  a  numerous  '^  hatterie  de  cuisine;  "  neces- 
sarily they  required  an  ample  room  in  which 
to  work.    The  modern  French  cook  demands  the 


Dijon,  the  City  of  the  Dukes      121 

same  thing  to-day.  Details  in  this  line  do  not 
change  so  rapidly  in  this  "  land  of  good  cooks  " 
as  elsewhere,  for  the  French  chef  is  still  su- 
preme and  cares  not  for  labour  or  time-saving 
appliances. 

The  "  Cuisines,"  as  to  their  ground  plan, 
form  a  perfect  square,  the  roof  being  borne 
aloft  by  eight  colmnns,  which  on  three  sides  of 
the  apartment  serve  as  supporters  also  for  the 
great  twin-hooded  chimneys.  Two  potagers,  or 
h raisers,  where  the  pots  might  be  kept  simmer- 
ing, were  at  B  on  the  plan,  and  the  oven,  or 
foyer  ardente  was  at  C.  D  was  a  well,  and  E 
its  means  of  access.  The  windows  were  at  F 
and  G,  and  H  was  a  great  central  smoke-pipe, 
or  opening  in  the  roof,  which  served  the  same 
functions  as  the  hole  in  the  roof  of  the  Indian's 
wigwam.  K  was  a  serving  table,  made  also  of 
stone,  to  receive  the  dishes  after  being  cooked ; 
and.  that  they  might  not  become  literally  stone 
cold  before  being  finally  served,  this  table  had 
a  sort  of  subterranean  heating  arrangement. 

The  conglomerate  structure  of  to-day  which 
serves  its  civic  functions  so  well  is  an  out- 
growth of  all  these  varied  components  which 
made  up  the  ducal  residence  of  old.  It  was 
midway  in  its  career  that  it  became  the  Parlia- 


122  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

ment  House  of  the  Etats  de  Bourgogne,  so  it 
took  naturally  to  its  new  function  when  it  came 
to  uphold  merely  civic  dignity. 

The  apartment  where  sat  the  Burgundian 
Parliament,  the  Salle  des  Etats,  has  been  re- 
cently restored  and  decorated  with  a  series  of 
wall  paintings  depicting  the  glories  of  'Bur- 
gundy. It  is  a  seemingly  appropriate  decora- 
tion and  in  every  way  admirably  executed, 
though  the  name  attached  thereto  may  not  be 
as  famous  as  that  of  an  Abbey  or  a  Sargent. 

In  general  the  character  of  the  great  pile  of 
buildings  to-day,  on  account  of  the  heterogene- 
ous aspect  of  the  mass,  forbids  any  strict  esti- 
mate applicable  to  its  artistic  merits.  The  most 
that  can  be  ventured  is  to  comment  on  that 
which  is  definitely  good. 

At  many  times  during  its  career  it  has  been 
remodelled  and  added  to  by  many  able  hands. 
As  a  result  there  are  naturally  many  worthy 
bits  which  may  be  discovered  by  close  observa- 
tion that  in  general  run  a  fair  chance  of  being 
overlooked.  Two  pupils  of  Mansart  worked 
upon  the  remodelling  of  the  structure,  and  Man- 
sart himself  designed  the  colonnade  and  the 
vestibule  of  the  Salle  des  Etats.  Twelve  prin- 
cipal buildings  surrounding  the  main  courtyard 
came  into  being  from  time  to  time,  and  in  one- 


Chateau  des  Dues,  Dijon 


Dijon,  the  City  of  the  Dukes      123 

form  or  another  they  are  all  there  to-day, 
though  in  the  scantiest  of  fragments  in  some 
instances.  An  old-time  iron  gateway,  or  grille, 
still  exists  midway  between  the  two  principal 
fagades  of  the  Doric  order.  The  effect  of  this 
fagade  is  heavy,  but  ornate:  frankly  it  is  bad 
architecture,  but  it  is  imposing.  It  is  bad  be- 
cause it  is  a  manifest  Italian  interpolation  with 
little  or  nothing  in  common  with  other  decora- 
tive details  to  be  seen,  details  which  are  of  the 
transplanted  French  variety  of  Renaissance, 
and  that  in  ti-uth  is  far  and  away  ahead  of 
anything  in  Italy  or  any  rank  copy  of  anything 
of  Italian  origin. 

The  old  Place  Royale  opened  out  fan-like 
before  the  building  and  gave  a  certain  spectac- 
ular effect  which  saved  it  from  ultra  bad  taste 
at  that  period.  The  Place  d'Armes,  before  the 
present  Hotel  de  Ville  (which  now  occupies  the 
principal  part  of  the  old  ducal  palace),  and  the 
Place  des  Dues,  at  the  rear,  lend  the  same  ar- 
tistic aid  which  was  performed  by  the  Place 
Royale  in  its  time. 

Of  the  interior  arrangements  but  little  re- 
mains as  it  was  of  old  save  a  range  of  vaulted 
rooms  on  the  lower  floor,  the  Salle  des  Gardes, 
the  apartments  of  the  Tour  de  Bar  and  the 
"  Cuisines."    The  public  functions  which  have 


124  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

been  performed  by  the  structure  in  late  years 
have  nearly  swept  away  the  old  glamour  of 
romance  and  chivalry  which  might  otherwise 
have  hung  about  the  place  for  ages,  so  that  to- 
day it  is,  like  many  edifices  of  its  class  in 
France,  simply  a  hive  of  office-holders  and  little- 
worked  authorities  of  the  state  and  civic  ad- 
ministrations. It  is  difficult  to  see  any  romance 
in  the  visage  of  a  modern  town-clerk  or  a  ser- 
geant-at-arms. 

This  old  palace  of  the  dukes  was  chiefly  the 
work  of  Dijon  craftsmen,  at  least  those  por- 
tions which  were  built  in  the  sixteenth  century 
or  immediately  after.  This  is  the  more  to  be 
remarked  because  the  gables  and  roof-tops  are 
not  unlike  that  Flemish-Gothic  of  the  Hospice 
de  Beaune  which  was  built  by  alien  hands. 

At  Dijon  the  northern  portal  was  designed  by 
Brouhee  and  the  roofing  of  the  Grande  Salle 
was  made  from  the  plans  of  Sambin  and 
Chambrette,  as  was  the  doorway  from  the 
street  to  the  chapel.  The  Chambre  Doree  has 
a  most  beautiful  ceiling  of  the  time  of  Frangois 
Premier,  and  the  boiseries  and  the  grisaille  of 
the  same  apartment  date  from  the  period  of 
Louis  XIII. 

There  are  two  other  notable  ceilings  in  the 


Dijon,  the  City  of  the  Dukes      125 

edifice,  those  of  the  Bibliotheque  and  the  Salle 
d 'Assises. 

Dijon  has  ever  been  noted  down  by  those  who 
know  as  a  city  of  a  distinctly  local  and  a  really 
great  and  celebrated  art.  The  Ecole  de  Dijon 
was  a  unique  thing  which  had  no  counterpart 
elsewhere.  Under  the  liberally  encouraging 
patronage  of  the  Dues  de  Bourgogne  numerous 
habile  artists  banded  together  and  constituted 
the  local  "  £lcole  de  Dijon."  It  was  a  body  of 
artists  and  craftsmen  whose  careers  burned 
brilliantly  throughout  the  best  period  of  the 
Eenaissance,  indeed  up  to  its  end,  for  the  Hotel 
de  Vogue  at  Dijon,  of  a  very  late  period,  shows 
the  distinct  local  manner  of  building  at  its  best. 

Hugues  Sambin,  who  designed  the  Palace  of 
the  Burgundian  Parliament,  was  the  best  known 
of  these  Dijon  craftsmen  —  best  known  perhaps 
because  of  his  architectural  writings  (1572), 
for  his  work  was  not  indeed  superior  to  that  of 
his  fellows.  His  dwelling  exists  to-day  at 
Dijon,  in  the  Eue  de  la  Vannerie,  somewhat  dis- 
figured and  not  at  all  reminiscent  of  the  great 
capabilities  of  his  art  which  he  so  freely  be- 
stowed on  the  more  magnificent  structures  of 
his  clients.  A  tower,  presumably  a  part  of  the 
house  itself,  rises  close  beside,  and  on  its  vault- 


126  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

ing  one  sees  the  devise  "  Tout  par  Compas," 
tlie  same  that  may  be  seen  in  the  Hotel  de 
Vogue,  though  it  is  declared  that  there  is  no 
other  connection  between  the  two  save  that 
Sambin  had  a  hand  in  the  construction  of  both. 
The  motto  is  undeniably  a  good  one  for  an 
architect. 

The  local  Museum  contains  one  of  the  most 
important  provincial  collections  in  France.  It 
occupies  the  ancient  Salle  des  Gardes  of  the 
Palais  and  encloses  the  tombs  of  Jean-Sans- 
Peur  and  Philippe-le-Hardi.  As  examples  of 
the  sculptures  of  the  Burgundian  school  of  the 
fifteenth  century  these  ornate  tombs  are  in  the 
very  first  category.  They  were  brought  from 
the  Chartreux  de  Dijon  in  1795.  How  they  es- 
caped Revolutionary  desecration  is  a  marvel, 
but  here  they  are  to-day  in  all  the  glory  of 
their  admirable  design  and  execution.  If  Sar- 
gent's frieze  of  the  prophets  in  the  Boston  Pub- 
lic Library  was  not  inspired  by  these  cowled 
figures  surrounding  the  ducal  tombs  at  Dijon, 
it  must  be  a  dull  critic  indeed  who  will  not  at 
least  admit  the  suggestion  of  similarity. 

The  mausoleum  of  Philippe-le-Hardi  has  a 
single  recumbent  effigy  on  the  slab  above,  whilst 
that  of  Jean-Sans-Peur  is  accompanied  by  an^ 
other,  that  of  his  wife,  Marguerite  de  Baviere. 


Dijon,  the  City  of  the  Dukes      127 

The  tiny  statuettes  in  the  niches  of  the  arcade 
below,  and  surrounding  each  of  the  tombs,  are 
similar;  finely  chiselled,  weeping,  mourning 
figures,  most  exquisitely  sculptured  and  dis- 
posed. 

The  tomb  of  Philippe-le-Hardi  is  the  older, 
and  is  the  work  of  Claus  Sluter  and  Claus  do 
"Werve;  that  of  Jean-Sans-Peur  was  conceived 
(half  a  century  later)  by  Jehan  de  la  Heurta 
and  Antoine  Moiturier.  A  statue  of  Anne  de 
Bourgogne,  the  Duchess  of  Bedford,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Jean-Sans-Peur,  stands  between  these 
two  royal  tombs. 

It  is  worthy  to  note  that  the  robe  of  the  statue 
of  Marguerite  de  Baviere  is  sown  with  that  par- 
ticular species  of  field  daisy  which  we  have 
come  to  know  as  the  marguerite,  so  named  from 
the  predilection  of  the  princess  in  question  for 
that  humble  flower, 

Dijon's  Maison  de  Saint  Frangois-de-Sales 
may  well  be  given  passing  consideration  for 
reasons  stated  below.  It  dates  from  1541  and 
thus  belongs  to  an  epoch  when  the  art  of  the 
Renaissance  was  at  its  height.  It  is  an  elabor- 
ately conceived  edifice  and,  judging  from  the 
escutcheons  of  its  facade,  was  the  habitation, 
at  one  time  or  another,  of  some  of  the  royal 
family  of  France.    In  spite  of  this  the  author- 


128  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

ities  have  little  definite  to  say  with  regard  to 
its  founders. 

On  the  svelt  tourelle  at  the  side  one  notes  that 
the  lead  epi,  or  weather-vane,  is  intact,  a  re- 
markable fact  when  one  considers  that  it  has 
endured  for  nearly  five  centuries.  All  things 
considered,  this  dainty  habitation  is  one  of  the 
most  pleasing  and  ornate  structures  of  its  class. 
If  it  were  at  x\zay-le-Eideau  in  Touraine,  or  at 
Beaugency  on  the  Loire,  it  would  be  heralded 
far  and  wide  as  one  of  the  flowers  of  the  Renais- 
sance. To  rank  it  in  any  place  but  as  one  of 
the  most  charming  hotels  privees,  or  small 
town  chateaux,  of  Burgundy  would  be  a  grave 
error. 

Dijon  possesses  as  well  a  most  curious  and 
little  known  structure,  at  least  not  known  to 
the  usual  hurly  burly  world  of  tourists.  It  is 
near  the  Palais  de  Justice,  enclosed  behind  a 
high  protecting  wall,  through  which  easy  access 
is  to  be  had  by  a  gateway  opened  on  request. 
The  edifice  is  mysteriously  called  the  Hotel  de 
Venus,  and  is  a  diminutive  edifice  with  its  en- 
tire outer  wall  garlanded  with  flowers  and  em- 
blems cut  deep  into  its  rather  crumbly  stones. 
Just  what  the  significance  of  this  strange  build- 
ing was,  and  who,  or  what,  were  its  antecedents, 
is  in  great  doubt. 


Dijon,  the  City  of  the  Dukes      129 

Dijon's  Bibliotheque  oc<;upies  a  part  of  the 
great  town  house  built  by  Odinet  Godran  in 
1681.  The  Departmental  Archives  occupy  the 
restored  city  dwelling  of  Nicolas  Rollin,  the 
Chancellor  of  the  first  Burgundian  Parliament. 
It  is  a  reconstruction  now  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, but  originally  came  into  being  in  the  fif- 
teenth. The  principal  apartment  owns  to  a 
richly  sculptured  chimney-piece  and  an  elabor- 
ate plafond  a  caissons,  each  the  work  of  Ran- 
curelle,  a  seventeenth  century  sculptor  of  Dijon. 

In  the  Eue  des  Forges  are  numerous  old  Re- 
naissance houses,  many  of  them  of  a  grandeur 
which  entitles  them  to  a  higher  rank  than  a 
mere  maison  hourgeoise.  Many  of  them  indeed 
bear  the  proud  names  of  the  old  Burgundian 
noblesse.  One  is  called  the  Maison  des  Ambas- 
sadeurs  d'Espagne,  though  just  why,  history  is 
dark.  One  can  readily  surmise  however,  for  it 
certainly  is  a  luxuriously  appointed  dwelling  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  it  lacks  a  definite  history. 

Near  the  Eglise  Notre  Dame  are  the  Maison 
Milsand.  the  old  Hotel  des  Ambassadeurs  d'An- 
gleterre;  the  Hotel  du  Vogue  is  in  the  Rue 
Chaudronnerie,  and  also  the  Maison  des  Caria- 
tides.  All  are  admirable  examples  of  the  Bur- 
gundian Renaissance,  which  tells  its  history  in 
its  stones.    And  what  historv ! 


130  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

The  old  Hotel  des  Ambassadeurs  d'Angle- 
terre  was  the  residence  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford 
when  he  married,  in  1423,  Anne  de  Bourgogne. 
The  alleys  and  the  *'  park,"  supposedly  de- 
signed by  the  famous  *'  Le  Notre,  the  man  of 
gardens,"  who  was  responsible  for  those  of 
Versailles  and  Vaux,  are  little  changed  to-day 
from  what  they  were  in  the  century  of  Louis 
XIV. 


CHAPTER   X 

IN     THE    COTE    D'oR:      BEAUNE,     LAEOCHEPOT    AND 
EPINAC 

In  the  heart  of  the  Cote  d'Or  are  found  first 
of  all  the  bonnes  villes  de  hons  vins  of  the 
French,  Beaune,  Pommard,  Nuits,  etc.  Here  is 
a  region  which  was  literally  sown  with  great 
country  houses  of  wealthy  seigneurs ;  each  an- 
cient seigneurie  of  any  importance  whatever 
had  its  own  little  fortress  or  block-house  which 
stood  forth  as  an  advance  post  at  some  distance 
from  the  residence  of  the  overlord.  By  this 
means  only  could  the  seigneurs  command  re- 
spect for  their  vineyards.  One  notes  much  the 
same  condition  of  affairs  to-day.  If  there  are 
no  forts  nor  block-houses  any  more,  nor  arrows 
shot  from  bows,  nor  melted  lead  poured  down 
on  one  from  some  castle  wall,  there  are  at  least 
high  stone  barriers  and  big  dogs  and  guardians 
of  all  ranks  to  serve  their  masters  as  faithfully 
as  did  the  serfs  and  vilains  of  old.  One  is  glad 
to  say,  however,  that  the  Cote  d'Or  of  to-day 
is  not  an  inhospitable  region. 

131 


132  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

The  transformations  of  later  years  which 
have  taken  place  hereabouts  have  been  very- 
considerable,  and  the  historic  names  one  recog- 
nizes best  to-day  are  those  used  by  the  cha- 
teaux de  commerce,  and  found  reproduced  on 
the  labels  on  the  bottles  in  the  chic  restaurants 
and  hotels  throughout  the  world. 

One  can  not,  must  not,  pass  these  great  en- 
terprises by  unnoted  or  with  their  praises  un- 
sung. Their  histories  are  often  as  interesting 
as  those  of  the  ^naisons  de  plaisance  of  the 
seigneurs  who  despised  trade  and  robbed  and 
grafted  for  a  livelihood.  Undoubtedly  many  of 
them  did  take  the  wide  road  to  riches,  for  the 
feathering  of  political  nests  by  the  willing  or 
unwilling  aid  of  one's  constituents  is  no  new 
thing. 

The  gatherers  of  the  grape  under  the  Bur- 
gundians  and  the  Bourbons  were  not  always  the 
happy  contented  crew  that  they  have  so  fre- 
quently been  pictured  on  canvas.  The  novelists, 
the  playwrights  and  the  painters  have  limned 
the  lily  a  little  too  strong  at  times.  One  judges 
of  this  from  a  chanson  which  has  come  down 
through  centuries. 

"  Allans  en  vendagne  pour  gagner  cinq  sous 
Coucher  sur  la  paille,  ramasser  lex  pnux 
Manger  du  Jromage  qui  pue  comme  la  rage.' 


In  the  Cote  d'Or  133 

It  was  said  in  the  good  old  days  that  the 
grape-pickers  were  wont  to  eat  as  much  as  eight 
kilos  of  the  grapes  a  day,  to  say  nothing  of 
drinking  three  litres  of  wine,  —  manifestly  they 
were  not  so  badly  off,  even  at  a  wage  of  only 
five  sous  for  a  whole  day's  labour. 

South  from  Dijon  the  itinera ly  through  the 
core  of  the  Cote  d'Or  passes  in  review  a  succes- 
sion of  names  which  one  usually  associates  only 
with  a  wine  list.  If  one  has  studied  the  map  of 
France  closely  the  surprise  is  not  so  great,  but 
for  many  it  will  come  as  something  unexpected 
to  be  able  to  breakfast  at  Chambertin,  lunch  at 
Nuits,  dine  at  Beaune  and  sleep  at  Mersault  or 
Nolay.  First  off,  on  leaving  the  capital  of  the 
dukes,  almost  within  sight  of  its  palace  towers, 
one  comes  to  the  great  wine  district  of  Chenove, 
and  more  than  all  others  of  this  region  it  is  to 
be  revered  by  the  lover  of  the  history  and  ro- 
mance of  feudal  lords.  Sheltered,  and  almost 
enwrapped  by  the  mountain  background,  it  sits 
on  the  edge  of  the  sunny  plain  where  once  the 
Dues  de  Bourgogne  marshalled  their  armies 
and  their  courtiers. 

Not  one  of  the  very  first  wines  of  the  Cote 
d'Or  Chenove  comes  from  the  bright  particular 
vineyards  or  doses  of  the  Burgundian  dukes. 
Their  ancient  cellars  and  cuviers  are  still  ex- 


134  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

istent  but  the  wines  matured  in  them  are  to-day 
the  growth  of  American  roots,  planted  in  the 
last  dozen  or  twenty  years  to  take  the  place  of 
those  destroyed  by  the  phylloxera,  the  grafted 
stocks  serving  to  give  that  classic  body  and 
flavour  which  have  made  the  Burgundian  crus 
famous.  Thus  the  favourite  axiom  is  proved 
that  it  is  the  soil  and  not  the  grape  wliich  makes 
fine  wine. 

Here  at  Chenove  there  is  still  to  be  seen  the 
wine  vats  and  presses  which  served  the  minions 
of  Philippe-le-Hardi  and  Charles-le-Temeraire 
as  they  pressed  their  masters'  wines,  handling 
the  great  fifty  foot  levers  and  chanting  much 
as  do  sailors  as  they  march  around  the  capstan. 
A  block  of  stone  weighing  twenty-five  tons  was 
alternately  raised  and  lowered  with  the  grapes 
beneath  in  great  hollowed-out  troughs  of  stone 
or  wood  in  no  far  different  fashion  from  the 
methods  of  to-day. 

Below  Chenove  is  Fixin,  glorious  in  memory 
because  of  a  striking  monument  to  Napoleon, 
placed  there  by  one  of  his  fanatical  admirers, 
Commandant  Noisat.  The  Clos  de  la  Perriere, 
and  the  Clos  du  Chapitre,  two  of  the  grand 
wines  of  the  Cote  d'Or,  also  help  to  give  Fixin 
its  fame  —  how  much,  who  shall  say  —  al- 
though this  Napoleonic  shrine  is  really  a  won- 


In  the  Cote  d'Or  135 

der  of  statuesque  sculpture.  An  alley  of  pines 
leads  up  to  a  fountain  behind  whose  basin  rise 
stone  seats  and  a  rustic  shelter  destined  to  pro- 
tect the  effigy  of  Napoleon,  a  bronze  by  the 
Dijon  sculptor,  Eude.  The  whole  ensemble  is 
most  effective,  far  more  so  than  the  usual  plas- 
ter, or  cast-iron  statues  of  the  ''  Little  Cor- 
poral "  with  which  France  is  peopled.  To 
carry  the  devotion  still  farther,  Monsieur 
Noisat  built  the  guardian's  house  in  the  form 
of  the  Fortress  of  Saint  Helena. 

Gevrey  is  near  by,  with  an  old  ducal  chateau, 
still  well  preserved,  and  supported  by  an  ivy- 
grown  square  tower.  Gevrey  produces  one  of 
the  most  celebrated  wines  to  be  found  on  the 
lists  of  the  restaurants  mondaines  throughout 
the  world.  It  is  the  "  Chambertin  of  Yellow 
Seal,"  coming  from  the  Champs  de  Bertin,  a 
narrow  strip  of  land  sloping  down  the  flank  of 
the  hillside  to  the  plain  below.  Another  fa- 
mous vineyard  at  Gevrey  which  festoons  itself 
between  the  height  and  the  plain  is  that  of 
Crais-Billon,  which  takes  its  name  from  the 
celebrated  feudal  fief  of  Crebillon. 

The  Clos  Vougeot,  the  cradle  of  an  equally 
well  known  Burgundian  wine,  is  scarce  a  half 
dozen  kilometres  away  and  may  be  classed 
among  the  historic  chateaux  of  France.    Still 


136  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

enclosed  with  its  rampart  of  whitewashed  wall, 
the  great  square  of  vineyard  remains  to-day  as 
it  has  been  since  first  developed  by  the  monks 
of  Citeaux. 

The  property  has,  it  is  true,  been  dismem- 
bered and  divided  among  many  proprietors,  but 
the  two  great  square  pavilions  joined  together 
originally  gave  the  Clos  that  distinctive  aspect 
which,  in  no  small  measure,  it  retains  unto  this 
day.  Taken  as  a  whole,  it  still  possesses  a 
proud  mediasval  aspect,  though  the  modern 
porte-cochere,  an  iron  gate  which  looks  as 
though  it  was  manufactured  yesterday  in  South 
Chicago  —  and  perhaps  was  —  somewhat  dis- 
counts this.  Years  ago,  when  the  Clos  Vougeot 
was  the  nucleus  of  the  many  Vougeots  of  to- 
day, the  grapes  passed  entirely  through  the 
wine-presses  of  the  monks,  who  reserved  the 
product  entire  to  be  used  as  presents  to  Popes 
and  Princes.  Thus  Clos  Vougeot  was  the  model 
for  all  other  ambitious,  monastic  \dneyards, 
and  those  mediasval  monks  who  excelled  all 
others  of  their  time  as  wine-growers  were  the 
logical  inheritors  of  that  Latin  genius  of  an- 
tiquity which  gave  so  much  attention  to  the 
arts  of  agriculture. 

Hard  by  Vougeot  is  Romanee-Conti,  first  cele- 
brated under  the  ancient  regime  when  the  court- 


In  the  Cote  d*Or 


137 


138  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

physician,  Fagon,  ordered  its  wine  as  a  stim- 
ulant for  the  jaded  forces  of  Louis  XIV,  a  cir- 
cumstance which  practically  developed  a  war 
between  the  wine  growers  of  Champagne  and 
Burgundy,  with  a  victory  for  the  Cote  d'Or,  as 
was  proper.  To-day  we  are  backsliders,  and 
''  champagne  "  has  again  become  fashionable 
with  kings,  emperors  and  the  nouveau  riclie. 

The  property  known  as  Eomanee-Conti  has 
been  thus  known  since  the  Eevolution,  when 
this  princely  family  of  royal  blood  came  into 
possession  thereof.  The  old  abbey  is  to-day,  in 
part,  turned  into  a  beet-sugar  factory,  its  thou- 
sand brothers  and  sisters  now  giving  place  to 
working  men  and  women  of  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury, less  picturesque  and  less  faithful  to  their 
vocation,  without  doubt. 

Moulin-a-Vent  was  another  of  the  near-by 
properties  of  the  Citeaux  monks,  and  to-day 
preserves  the  great  colomhier,  or  pigeon-house, 
as  all  may  note  who  travel  these  parts  by  road. 
It  is  the  most  conspicuous  thing  in  the  land- 
scape for  miles  around,  and  looks  as  much  like 
the  tower  of  a  military  chateau  as  it  does  a 
dove-cote. 

The  Foret  Nationale  de  Citeaux  was  once  the 
particular  domain  of  the  monastery,  whose 
monks   preserved   and  enveloped  it   with   the 


In  the  Cote  d'Or  139 

same  degree  of  devotion  which  they  bestowed 
upon  their  \dneyards,  planting  villages  here 
and  there,  of  which  the  most  notably  pictur- 
esque and  unspoiled  still  alive  is  that  of  Saint 
Nicholas-les-Citeaux,  a  red-roofed  chimney- 
potted  little  village  in  close  proximity  to  the 
uncouth  fragments  of  the  old  conventual  es- 
tablishment. 

"  Nuits,  not  to  be  confounded  with  Nuits-sous- 
Eavieres,  is  more  famous  for  its  wine  crxis  than 
its  monuments  or  its  history.  Besides  a  pic- 
turesque belfry  and  hotel-de-ville,  both  ex- 
cellent examples  of  the  local  architecture,  it 
has  no  monuments  of  remark,  although  a  sort 
of  reflected  glamour  hangs  over  it  by  reason 
of  its  proximity  to  the  site  of  the  ancient  Cha- 
teau de  Vergy,  when  it  was  the  capital  of  the 
tiny  province  belonging  to  the  celebrated  Bur- 
gundian  family  of  this  name. 

The  metropolis  of  these  parts  is  Beaune.  It 
has  been  called  a  "  vieille  grande  dayne  qui  s'est 
faite  ouvriere  et  marcliande."  And  Beaune  is, 
for  a  fact,  all  this.  But  by  contrast  with  its 
commercialism  its  mediaeval  aspect  is  also  well 
preserved  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  its  manorial 
magnificence  is  much  depleted. 

The  contrastingly  modem  and  mediaeval 
aspect,  and  to  some  extent  its  military  charac- 


140  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

ter,  makes  Beaune  most  interesting.  The  ram- 
parts themselves  have  been  turned  into  a  series 
of  encircling  boulevards,  but  here  and  there  a 
fragment  of  wall  is  left  plunging  sheer  down  to 
the  moat  below,  which  has  not  yet  been  filled  up. 
This  gives  quite  a  suggestion  of  the  part  the 
old  walls  once  played,  an  effect  heightened  the 
more  by  three  or  four  massive  towers  and  por- 
tals flanking  the  entrances  and  exits  of  the 
town.  This  at  least  gives  a  reminiscence  of 
what  the  former  city  must  have  been  when  it 
was  girded  in  its  corselet  of  stone. 

Here  and  there  a  sober  and  dignified  maison 
hourgeoise  rears  its  Renaissance  head  above  a 
more  humble  and  less  appealing  structure  sug- 
gestive of  an  ancient  prosperity  as  great,  per- 
haps greater,  than  that  which  makes  possible 
the  comfortable  lives  of  the  city's  fourteen 
thousand  souls  to-day. 

Another  civic  monument  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary remark  is  the  watch-tower,  or  belfry,  a 
remainder  of  the  cities  of  Flanders,  a  most  un- 
usual architectural  accessory  to  find  in  these 
parts,  the  only  other  neighbouring  example 
recalled  being  at  Moulins  in  the  Allier. 

In  spite  of  all  this,  Beaune 's  historic  tale  has 
little  of  blood  and  thunder  in  its  make-up; 
mostly  its  experiences  have  been  of  a  peaceful 


In  the  Cote  d*Or  141 

nature,  and  only  because  the  dukes  so  fre- 
quently took  up  their  residence  within  its  walls 
was  it  so  admirably  defended. 

Beaune  was  originally  the  seat  of  the  Bur- 
gundian  Parliament.  Henri  IV,  who  was  par- 
ticularly wroth  with  all  things  Burgundian, 
treated  the  city  with  great  severity  after  the 
revolt  of  Marechal  de  Biron,  razing  its  castle, 
one  of  the  most  imposing  in  the  province,  to  the 
ground.  As  a  part  of  the  penalty  Biron  was 
put  to  death.  On  the  scaffold  he  said  to  his 
assistants  ''  Va  t'en!  Va  t'en!  Ne  me  louche 
pas  qu'il  soit  temps/'  Five  minutes  later  his 
head  fell  into  the  basket  and  his  king  was 
avenged. 

Since  this  time  Beaune  has  been  little  heard 
of  save  in  the  arts  of  peace;  there  is  no  city 
in  France  more  calm  to-day,  nor  ''  plus  bour- 
geoise  "  than  Beaune,  and  by  the  use  of  the 
word  hourgeoise  one  does  not  attempt  irony. 

The  Hospice  de  Beaune  is  for  all  considera- 
tions a  remarkable  edifice;  its  functions  have 
been  many  and  various  and  its  glories  have 
been  great.  Formerly  the  Hospice  stood  for 
hospitality;  to-day  it  is  either  a  hospital,  or  a 
matter-of-fact  business  proposition;  you  may 
think  of  it  as  you  like,  according  to  your  mood, 
and  how  it  strikes  you. 


142  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

The  Benedictine  Abbey  de  Fecamp,  like 
Dauphiny's  Grande  Chartreuse,  is  but  a  busi- 
ness enterprise  whose  stocks  and  bonds  in  their 
inflated  values  take  rank  with  Calumet  and 
Hecla,  Monte  Carlo's  Casino,  or  other  specu- 
lative projects.  The  same  is  true  of  the  wine 
exploitation  of  the  monks  of  Citeaux  at  Clos 
Vougeot,  and  of  the  famous  wine  cellars  of  the 
Hospice  de  Beaune,  We  may  like  to  think  of 
the  old  romantic  glamour  that  hangs  over  these 
shrines,  but  in  truth  it  is  but  a  pale  reflected 
light.  This  is  true  from  a  certain  point  of  view 
at  any  rate. 

Beaune 's  Hospice,  with  its  queer  melange  of 
churchly  and  heraldic  symbols  ranged  along 
with  its  Hispano-Gothic  details,  is  ''  more  a 
chateau-de-luxe  than  a  poor-house,"  said  a  six- 
teenth century  vagabond  traveller  who  was  en- 
tertained therein.  And,  taking  our  clue  from 
this,  we  will  so  consider  it.  ' '  It  is  worth  being 
poor  all  one's  life  to  finally  come  to  such  a 
refuge  as  this  in  which  to  end  one's  days,"  said 
Louis  XI. 

The  foundation  of  the  Hospice  dates  from 
1443,  as  the  date  on  its  carven  portal  shows. 
It  was  started  on  its  philanthropic  and  useful 
career  by  Nicholas  Rollin  and  his  wife  Gui- 
gnonne  de  Salins.    It  was  then  accounted,  as  it 


In  the  Cote  d'Or  143 

is  to-day,  "  a  superb  foundation  endowed  with 
great  wealth. ' ' 

The  desire  of  the  founders  was  that  the  oc- 
cupants should  be  surrounded  with  as  much  of 
comfort  and  luxury  as  a  thousand  of  livres  of 
income  for  each  (a  considerable  sum  for  that 
far-away  epoch)  should  allow. 

This  fifteenth  century  Hospice  de  Beaune  is 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  examples  of  the 
wood-workers'  manner  of  building  of  its  time. 
The  role  that  it  plays  among  similar  contem- 
porary structures  wherever  found  is  supreme. 
It  is  only  in  Flanders  that  any  considerable 
number  of  suuilar  architectural  details  of  con- 
struction are  found. 

The  general  view  of  the  edifice  from  without 
hardly  does  justice  to  the  many  architectural 
excellencies  which  it  possesses.  The  lieurtoir, 
or  door-knocker,  in  forged  iron,  still  hanging 
before  the  portal,  is  the  same  that  was  first 
hung  there  in  the  fifteenth  century,  and  which 
has  responded  to  countless  appeals  of  wayfar- 
ers. The  iron  work  of  the  interior  court  is  of 
the  same  period. 

With  the  inner  courtyard  the  aspect  changes. 
On  one  side  is  the  Flemish-Gothic,  or  Hispano- 
Gothic,  structure  of  old,  one  of  the  most  ornate 
and  satisfying  combinations  of  wooden  gables 


144  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

and  pignons  and  covered  galleries  one  can  find 
above  ground  to-day.  Frankly  it  is  an  impor- 
tation from  alien  soil,  a  transplantation  from 
the  Low  Countries,  where  the  style  was  first 
developed  during  the  Spanish  occupation  in 
Flanders. 

Save  for  certain  modifications  in  1646,  1734 
and  1784  this  portion  of  the  edifice  remains 
much  as  it  was  left  by  the  passing  of  the  good 
old  times  when  knights,  and  monks  as  well,  were 
bold.  The  Grande  Salle,  where  the  Chancelier 
EoUin  first  instituted  the  annual  wine  sale 
which  still  holds  forth  to-day,  and  the  entrance 
portal  were  again  restored  in  1879,  but  other- 
wise the  aspect  is  of  the  time  of  the  birth  of  the 
structure. 

The  Hospice  de  Beaune  is  properly  enough 
to  be  classed  among  the  palaces  and  chateaux 
of  Burgundy,  for  its  civic  functions  were  many, 
besides  which  it  was  the  princely  residence  of 
the  chancellor  of  the  Burgundian  Parliament. 

The  old  College  de  Beaune,  now  disappeared, 
or  transformed  out  of  all  semblance  to  its 
former  self,  was  a  one-time  residence  of  the 
Dues  de  Bourgogne,  and  in  addition  the  first 
seat  of  the  Burgundian  Parliament  when  its 
sittings  were  known  as  the  Jours  Generaux. 

A    near    neighbour    of    Beaune    is    Corton. 


^Zy^-^p  i^^A 


In  the  Cote  d'Or  145 


''  C'est  le  Chamhertin  de  la  Cote  de  Beaune," 
said  Monillefert,  writing  of  its  wine.  Another 
neighbouring  vineyard  is  that  which  surrounds 
the  little  village  of  Pernand.  Its  cru,  called 
Charlemagne,  has  considerably  more  than  a 
local  reputation.  Savigny-sous-Beaune  is  an- 
other place-name  which  means  little  unless  it 
be  on  a  wine-card.  The  little  town  is  set  about 
with  sumptuous  hourgeoise  houses,  and  a  local 
chateau  bears  the  following  inscription  over  its 
portal,  ''  Les  vins  de  Savigny  sont  nourrisants, 
theologiqiies  et  morhifuges."  They  have  been 
drunk  by  countless  hon  vivants  through  the 
ages,  and  the  Dues  de  Bourgogne  were  ever 
their  greatest  partisans.  Mention  of  them  ap- 
pears frequently  in  the  accounts  written  of 
public  and  private  fetes ;  almost  as  frequently, 
one  may  note,  as  the  more  celebrated  ''  vin  du 
Hospice/' 

South  from  Beaune  is  Mersault,  a  tiny  city 
of  the  Cote  de  Beaune.  All  about  its  clean- 
swept  streets  rise  well-kept,  pretentious  dwell- 
ings, many  of  them  the  gabled  variety  so  like 
the  medieval  chateaux,  though  indeed  they  may 
date  only  from  the  last  three-quarters  of  a 
century,  or  since  the  Revolution. 

An  old  feudal  castle  —  the  typical  feudal 
castle  of  romance  —  has  been  restored  and  re- 


146  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

modelled,  and  now  serves  as  Mersault's  Hotel 
de  Ville.  All  about  is  the  smell  of  wine;  bar- 
rels of  it  are  on  every  curb,  and  running  rivers 
of  the  lees  course  through  every  gutter. 

Nolay,  a  trifle  to  the  west,  is  scarcely  known 
at  all  save  as  the  name  of  a  wine,  and  then  it 
is  not  seen  on  every  wine  list  of  the  popuhir 
restaurants.  In  the  good  old  days  it  was  the 
seat  of  a  marquisat  and  was  of  course  endowed 
with  a  seigneurial  chateau.  Nothing  of  suffi- 
cient magnitude,  seemingly,  exists  to-day,  and 
so  one  does  not  linger,  but  turns  his  attention 
immediately  to  the  magnificent  Chateau  de 
La  Eochepot,  which  virtually  dominates  the 
landscape  for  leagues  around. 

In  contrast  with  the  vast  array  of  chateaux 
de  commerce  scattered  all  through  the  Cote 
d 'Or  — the  "  Golden  Hillside  "  of  the  Eomans 
—  is  the  Chateau  de  La  Eochepot,  marvellous 
as  to  its  site  and  most  appealing  from  all 
points. 

It  was  at  Nolay  that  was  bom  Lazare  Carnot. 
It  is  the  name  of  the  grand  homme  who  is  al- 
most alone  Nolay 's  sole  claim  to  fame.  His 
ancestor  has  his  statue  on  the  little  Place,  and 
his  grandson  —  he  who  was  President  of  the 
French  Eepublic  —  is  also  glorified  by  a  fine, 
but  rather  sentimentally  conceived,  monument. 


In  the  Cote  d'Or  147 

Lazare  Carnot  was  boru  in  a  humble  little 
cottage  of  Nolay,  and  this  cottage,  after  all,  is 
perhaps  the  town's  most  celebrated  monument 
to  the  glorious  name. 

The  ancient  home  of  the  Sires  de  la  Roche, 
the  Chateau  de  La  Eochepot,  to-day  belongs  to 
Captaine  Carnot,  the  son  of  the  former  Presi- 
dent, who,  thoroughly  and  consistently,  has  be- 
gun its  restoration  on  model  lines. 

The  Sire  de  la  Roche-Xolay,  who  planned  the 
work,  hired  one  by  the  name  of  Pot,  it  is  said, 
to  dig  a  well  within  the  courtyard.  The  price 
demanded  was  so  high  that  he  was  obliged  to 
turn  over  the  property  itself  in  payment.  It 
was  by  this  means,  says  historic  fact  or  legend, 
that  the  line  of  Pots,  big  and  little,  came  into 
possession.  This  Philippe  Pot,  by  his  mar- 
riage, brought  the  property  to  the  Montmoren- 
cys  and  himself  to  the  high  office  of  Counsellor 
of  Anne  de  Beaujeau.  He  became  seigneur  of 
the  lands  here  in  1428,  and  was  afterwards 
better  known  as  ambassador  of  the  Due  de 
Bourgogne  at  London.  His  tomb  was  formerly 
in  the  Abbey  of  Citeaux,  but  has  been  trans- 
ported to  the  Louvre. 

After  the  Rochepots'  tenure  the  property 
came  to  the  Sullys,  and  in  1629  to  the  family  De 
Fargis.    During  the  Revolution  it  was  acquired 


148  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

as  a  part  of  the  Mens  nationaux  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  in  1799  the  donjon  of  the  chateau  was 
pulled  down,  the  same  which  is  to-day  being 
rebuilt  stone  by  stone  on  the  same  site. 

The  present  noble  edifice  is  after  all  nothing 
more  than  a  completion  of  the  admirably 
planned  reconstruction  of  the  fifteenth  century ; 
the  restoration,  or  rebuilding,  of  to-day  being 
but  the  following  out  of  the  plans  of  the  orig- 
inal architect,  a  procedure  which  has  sel'^om 
been  attempted  or  accomplished  elsewhere.  It 
was  done  with  the  sixteenth  century  fountain 
of  the  Medicis  in  the  Luxembourg  Gardens 
(whose  sculptures  according  to  the  original  de- 
signs were  only  completed  in  1839),  but  this  is 
perhaps  the  only  instance  of  a  great  mediaeval 
chateau  being  thus  carried  to  completion.  The 
restorations  of  Carcassonne,  Saint-Michel  and 
Pierrefonds  are  in  quite  another  category. 

The  Chateau  La  Rochepot  was  a  develop- 
ment of  the  ancient  Chastel-Eocca,  which  stood 
on  the  same  site  in  the  twelfth  century,  and 
which  drew  its  name  originally  from  its  situa- 
tion. 

;£pinac,  just  to  the  west  of  La  Rochepot,  is  in 
the  heart  of  a  veritable  ' '  black  country  ' ' ;  not 
the  "  black  country  "  of  the  Midlands  in  Eng- 
land, but  a  more  picturesque  region,  where  the 


In  the  Cote  d*Or  149 

soot  and  grime  of  coal  and  its  products  mingle 
by  turns  with  the  brilliancy  of  foliage  green 
and  gold.  In  addition  to  drawing  its  fame  from 
the  mines  roundabout,  fipinac  owes  not  a  little 
of  its  distinction  to  its  chateau,  and  a  neigh- 
bouring Chateau  de  Sully  which  dates  from  the 
sixteenth  century. 

The  Chateau  de  Sully  is  a  magnificent  edifice 
built  in  1567  for  the  Marechal  de  Saulx- 
Tavannes,  and  is  to-day  classed  by  the  French 
government  as  a  "  monument  historique."  It 
was  built  from  the  plans  of  Ribbonnier,  a  cele- 
brated architect  of  Langres  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  and  terminated  only  in  the  reign  of 
Henri  IV.  It  is  an  excellent  type  of  the  French 
Renaissance  of  the  latter  half  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  In  form  it  is  a  vast  rectangle  with 
square  pavilions,  or  towers,  at  each  angle  set 
diagonally.  Though  varied,  its  architecture  is 
sober  to  a  degree,  particularly  with  respect  to 
the  rez-de-cliaussee. 

The  inner  court  of  this  admirable  chateau  is 
surrounded  by  an  arcaded  gallery  whose 
rounded  arches  are  separated  by  a  double  col- 
onnette.  The  gardens  are  of  the  ''  jardin  an- 
glais ' '  variety,  so  affected  by  the  French  at  the 
time  of  the  completion  of  the  chateau,  and  are 
cut  and  crossed  by  many  arms  of  the  orna- 


150  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

mental  water  which  entirely  surrounds  the 
property. 

After  the  tenure  of  the  family  of  Tavannes, 
the  property  passed  to  those  of  Rabutin  and 
Montaigu,  and,  for  the  last  centurj^,  has  been 
owned  by  the  MacMahons.  There  are  some 
fragments  lying  about  which  belong  to  another 
edifice  which  dates  from  the  thirteenth  century, 
but  not  enough  to  give  the  stones  the  distinction 
of  being  called  even  a  ruined  chateau. 

Epinac's  chateau  dates  from  at  least  two  cen- 
turies before  the  Chateau  de  Sully,  and  is  a 
resurrection  of  an  old  chateau-fort.  Two  great 
heavy  towers  remain  to-day  as  the  chief  archi- 
tectural features,  beside  an  extent  of  main 
building  through  whose  walls  are  cut  a  series 
of  splendid  Gothic  window  frames.  Tradition 
has  it  that  these  towers  were  originally  much 
more  lofty,  but  at  the  period  when  barons, 
whether  rightly  or  wrongly,  held  their  sway 
over  their  peers  and  anyone  else  who  might  be 
around,  if  the  local  seigneur  was  beaten  at  a 
tourney,  the  penalty  he  paid  was  to  cut  the  tow- 
ers of  his  castle  down  one-half.  This  seems  a 
good  enough  tale  to  tack  to  a  mediaeval  castle, 
as  good  as  a  ghost  tale,  and  as  satisfactory  as 
if  it  were  a  recorded  fact  of  history,  instead  of 
mere  legend. 


Chateau  de  Sully 


In  the  Cote  d'Or  151 

Originally  these  towers  of  the  Chateau 
d'Epinac  were  of  such  an  overwhelming  height 
that  they  could  be  seen  a  hundred  leagues 
around  —  this  is  local  tradition  again,  and  this 
time  it  is  probably  exaggeration.  Three  hun- 
dred miles  is  a  long  bird's-eye  view  indeed! 
Anyway  a  local  couplet  reads  thus,  and  is 
seemingly  justifiable: 

"  Demene-toi,  tourne  toi,  vire  toi, 
Tu  ne  trouveras  pas  plus  beau  que  moi." 

Epinac,  too,  is  noted  for  its  bottles,  the  fat- 
bellied,  ample  litres  in  which  ripe  old  Burgundy 
is  sold.  ''  Dame  Jeans  "  and  '*  flacons  ''  are 
here  made  by  millions,  which  is  only  another 
way  of  referring  to  demijohns  and  bottles.  Of 
their  variety  of  shapes  and  sizes  one  may  judge 
by  the  song  the  workers  sing  as  they  ply  their 
trade : 

"  Messieurs,  tnessieurs,  laissez  nous  /aire 
On  vous  en  donnera  de  toutes  les  /aeons." 

The  glass  industry  of  tCpinac,  if  not  as  old 
as  its  chateau,  at  least  dates  from  the  very 
earliest  days  of  the  art. 

Retracing  one's  steps  some  forty  kilometres 
to  Chalon-sur-Saone  one  comes  midway  to 
Chagny.    The  railroad  gnides  chiefly  make  men- 


152  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

tion  of  Chagny  as  a  junction  where  one  is 
awakened  at  uncomfortable  hours  in  the  night 
to  change  cars.  Some  of  us  who  have  passed 
frequently  that  way  can  call  attention  to  the 
fact  that  Chagny  possesses,  among  other  won- 
ders, certain  architectural  glories  which  are 
worthy  of  consideration  by  even  the  hurried 
twentieth  century  traveller. 

Here  is  a  fine  twelfth  century  Eoman  tower, 
a  former  dependency  of  some  civic  establish- 
ment, but  now  serving  as  the  clocher  of  the 
church,  a  svelt  but  all  imposing  square  broad- 
based  tower  of  the  local  manor  from  which  the 
seigneur  of  other  days,  even  though  he  was  not 
a  '  *  grand  seigneur, ' '  stretched  forth  his  velvet- 
clad  iron  hand  in  mighty  benediction  over  his 
good  men  and  true. 

Besides  this  there  is  a  monstrosity  of  a 
cupola  of  the  modern  chateau  which  is  hideous 
and  prominent  enough  to  be  remarked  from 
miles  around. 

Clearly,  then,  Chagny  is  much  more  than  a 
railway  junction.  No  one  who  stops  more  than 
a  passing  hour  here  will  regret  it,  although  its 
historic  shrines  are  not  many  nor  beautiful  to 
any  high  degree. 


CHAPTER   XI 

MACON,    CLUNY    AND    THE    CHAKOLLAIS 

Macon  is  a  name  well  known  to  travellers 
across  France,  but  its  immediate  environs  are 
scarcely  known  at  all  save  as  they  are  recog- 
nized as  a  region  devoted  to  the  product  of  the 
vine.  For  a  fact  the  romantic  and  historic  lore 
which  abounds  within  a  short  radius  of  the  cap- 
ital of  the  Maconnais  makes  it  one  of  the  most 
interesting  regions  of  mid-France. 

Lying  just  to  the  westward  is  the  Charollais, 
whose  capital,  Charolles,  the  ancient  fortress  of 
the  Comtes  de  Charolles,  is  surrounded  by  a 
veritable  girdle  of  castles  and  donjons,  the 
nearest  two  kilometres  beyond  the  town.  They 
formed  in  their  prime  an  outer  line  of  defence 
behind  which  the  counts  lived  in  comparative 
safety.  Montersine,  the  nearest  of  these  works, 
a  vast  rectangular  donjon  with  echauguettes , 
must  certainly  have  been  the  most  formidable. 
"Within  ten  leagues  are  the  chateaux  of  Lugny, 
Rambeauteau  and  Corcheval  —  one  of  the  most 

153 


154  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

ancient  of  the  Cliarollais.  There  are  also  Ter- 
reaux-a-Verostres,  the  Eenaissance  Chaumont 
at  Saint-Bonnet-de-Joux  and,  finally,  the  for- 
tress of  Commune-sur-Martigny-le-Comte. 

Of  these,  that  of  Chaumont-la-Guiche,  two 
kilometres  from  Saint-Bonnet-de-Joux,  is  quite 
the  most  splendid  when  it  comes  to  best  fulfilling 
the  mission  of  a  luxurious  Eenaissance  maison 
de  campagne.  It  is  to-day  the  magnificent  twen- 
tieth century  residence  of  the  Marquis  de  la 
Guiche,  but  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  edifice 
built  in  the  reign  of  Francois  Premier  and  ter- 
minated by  Philibert  de  Guiche,  who  died  in 
1607.  At  the  time  of  the  Saint  Bartholomew 
massacre  he  was  Bailli  de  Macon,  and,  through- 
out, the  Maconnais  and  the  Charollais  took  a 
firm  stand  against  the  killing  off  of  the  Protes- 
tants as  an  unholy  means  to  a  Christian  end. 

Before  the  chateau  is  an  equestrian  statue 
of  its  sixteenth  century  chatelain,  and  the  sta- 
bles, a  great  vaulted  hall  whose  ceiling  is  upheld 
by  more  than  fifty  svelt  colonnettes,  are  in  no 
small  way  reminiscent  of  the  still  more  exten- 
sive Ecuries  at  Chantilly.  There  is  also,  as  a 
dependency  of  the  chateau,  a  remarkably  beau- 
tiful Gothic  chapel  with  fine  old  glass  in  its 
windows  —  Gothic  of  a  late  construction,  be  it 
understood,  but  acceptable  Gothic  nevertheless. 


Macon,  Cluny  and  the  Charollais    155 

At  Paray-le-Monail  —  a  place  of  sainted  pil- 
grimage, because  of  the  miracle  of  the  Sacre 
Coeur  which  took  place  here  —  is  to  be  seen  the 
luxurious  dwelling  of  a  local  seigneur  who  was 
closely  allied  to  the  Comte  de  Charolles.  It  is  a 
palace  in  all  but  name,  and  were  it  on  the  well- 
worn  travel  track  in  Touraine  would  be  ac- 
counted one  of  the  marvels  of  the  brilliant  ar- 
ray of  Eenaissance  dwellings  there.  It  holds 
this  distinction  to-day  among  the  comparatively 
few  who  know  it,  and,  as  it  serves  the  public 
functions  of  a  Hotel  de  Ville,  its  future  as  a 
**  monument  historique  "  worthy  of  preserva- 
tion seems  assured.  Chateau  or  palace  it  may 
not  be ;  it  may  be  only  a  luxurious  town  house ; 
who  shall  make  the  distinction  after  all?  Let 
the  reader,  or  better  yet,  the  visitor,  to  this 
admirable  Eenaissance  wonder-work  be  assured 
that  it  is  more  royally  palatial  than  many  which 
have  sheltered  the  heads  and  persons  of  the 
most  fastidious  of  monarchs. 

South  from  Charolles,  behind  the  hills  of 
the  Brionnais,  almost  on  the  edge  of  the  an- 
cient Forez,  in  part  only  Burgundian,  is  the 
coquette  hourgade  (a  French  expression  abso- 
lutely untranslatable)  of  Marcigny,  all  ochre 
and  brown  after  the  local  colouring.  It 
is  a  town  of  a  great  tree-bordered  Place,  or 


156  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Square,  with  decrepit  old  houses  overhanging 
its  narrow  streets,  made  famous  in  the  past  by 
a  celebrated  Benedictine  priory  which  received 
only  the  daughters  of  the  nobility.  Of  this 
monastery  there  remains  only  the  prior's  pal- 
ace, a  princely  sort  of  abode  which  to-day  has 
been  turned  into  a  hotel.  Here  one  may  experi- 
ence one  of  the  greatest  and  most  joyful  sur- 
prises of  French  travel,  and  pick  up  his  histor- 
ical lore  on  the  spot. 

Leaving  Marcigny  for  Semur-en-Brionnais, 
one  passes  a  vestige  of  the  feudal  past  in  the 
shape  of  an  elaborately  decorated  feudal  tower. 
At  a  distance  this  decorative  effect  seems  to  be 
produced  by  shot  still  clinging  to  the  walls,  an 
effect  that  may  be  seen  also  at  Arques  in  Nor- 
mandy and  at  Tarascon  in  the  Midi.  Here  this 
is  an  illusion.  As  one  approaches  nearer  it  is 
easy  to  see  these  round  bosses  transform  them- 
selves into  mascarons,  or  sculptured  decorative 
details,  like  the  escutcheons  and  plaques  so  fre- 
quently seen  stuck  into  the  walls  of  so  many 
civic  edifices  in  Italy.  This  old  tower  is  of  a 
different  species,  but  manifestly  it  is  a  memo- 
rial of  some  sort.  Its  peaked  head  rises  above 
a  sort  of  pavilion,  or  loft,  like  a  gigantic  pigeon- 
house.  There  is  a  diminutive  barbican  on  one 
side,  and  on  the  other  are  narrow  slits  of  Gothic 


Hotel  de  Ville,  Parav-le-Monail 


Macon,  Cluny  and  the  Charollais    157 

windows,  as  if  for  defence  rather  than  as  a 
means  of  letting  light  and  air  within. 

* '  This  is  some  ancient  historic  monument,  no 
doubt"?  "  you  query  of  some  passing  peasant. 
And  to  be  precise  he  answers:  ''  Yes,  a  tower." 
That  is  all  the  information  you  can  get  beneath 
its  shadow,  but  you  are  content  and  go  your 
way.  It  fulfils  exactly  your  idea  of  what  a  me- 
dicTval  donjon  should  be,  and  what  it  lacks  in 
apparent  authenticated  history  can  be  readily 
enough  imagined  by  anyone  with  a  predilection 
for  such  musings. 

Leaving  the  Charollais  and  the  Brionnais, 
one  turns  toward  Macon  by  the  gateway  of 
Cluny.  Mediaevalism  here  is  rampant  in  mem- 
ory, song  and  story,  though  the  monuments  are 
nnfamiliar  ones.  It  is  an  echo  of  the  days 
when  abbots  and  priors  were  often  barons,  and 
barons  were  magistrates  who  held  the  keys  of 
life  and  death  over  other  of  mankind.  These 
were  the  days,  too,  when  the  Pope  was  the  real 
ruler  of  many  a  kingdom  with  another  titular 
head.  Large  parcels  of  land,  from  the  Black 
Sea  to  Brittany,  fiefs,  countships  and  even 
dukedoms,  were  church  property,  and  others 
held  their  brief  sway  therein  only  by  the  toler- 
ance of  the  Pontiff. 

Seemingly  exempt  from  this  domination,  the 


158  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

powerful  monks  of  Cluny  knew  no  lord  nor  mas- 
ter. On  one  occasion  a  Pope  and  a  King  of 
France,  with  numberless  prelates  and  nobles  in 
their  train,  took  refuge  in  the  old  abbey,  but  not 
a  brother  put  himself  out  in  the  least  to  do  them 
honour. 

By  the  fifteenth  century,  the  hour  of  deca- 
dence had  rung  out  for  Cluny ;  no  more  was  it 
true 

"  En  tout  pays  ou  vent  vente 
L'Ahbe  de  Cluni  a,  rente." 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  "  arhitres  des  rois  " 
lost  their  power. 

The  great  Abbey  of  Cluny  may  readily 
enough  be  included  in  any  contemplation  of  the 
great  civic  and  domestic  establishments  of  these 
parts.  The  only  difference  is  that  in  some  cases 
the  chatelains  or  chatelaines  were  princes  or 
princesses  instead  of  abbes  or  abbesses. 

Cluny 's  destinies  were  presided  over  by  an 
abbe,  but  kings  and  cardinals  and  popes  all,  at 
one  time  or  another,  came  to  dwell  within  its 
walls. 

"When  Cluny  was  but  a  mere  hamlet,  in  the 
year  910  a.  d.,  Guillaume,  Due  d'Aquitaine  et 
Comte  d'Auvergne,  founded  this  abbey,  which 
became  one  of  the  most  celebrated  in  the  uni- 


Macon,  Cluny  and  the  Charollais    159 

verse.  From  the  first  its  abbes  were  cardinals 
and  princes  of  Cliurch  and  State. 

In  1245  Pope  Innocent  IV.  visited  the  abbey 
with  a  train  of  twelve  cardinals  and  scores  of 
minor  churchmen.  The  Sainted  Louis  and  the 
queen,  his  mother,  enjoyed  hospitality  within 
its  walls,  and  the  Emperor  of  Constanti- 
nople, and  a  throng  of  followers,  all  found  a  wel- 
come here;  and  this  without  incommoding  the 
four  hundred  monks  who  were  attached  to  the 
foundation.  Pope  Gelasse  II  died  at  the  abbey, 
and  the  Archbishop  Guy  of  Vienne  was  here 
elected  Pope,  under  the  name  of  Calixtus  II, 
by  a  conclave  assembled  within  its  halls.  To-day 
the  pride  of  the  former  powerful  abbey  rests 
only  on  its  laurels  of  other  days.  Its  superb 
basilica  has  practically  disappeared.  Only  its 
foundations,  five  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
length,  are  to  be  traced.  The  extensive  library 
has  disappeared,  and  only  certain  of  the  walls 
and  roofs  and  a  few  minor  apartments  of  the 
former  palatial  conventual  buildings  remain  to 
suggest  the  one  time  glory. 

The  rich  plain  of  Cluny  was,  in  910  a.  d.,  but 
a  forest  called  the  ''  Valle  Noire  "  when  the 
Abbe  Bernon  with  a  dozen  brothers  founded  the 
celebrated  Abbey  of  Cluny,  called  the  "  cradle 
of  modem  civilization." 


160  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Of  the  conventual  buildings  the  most  remark- 
able features  still  standing  are  the  south  arm 
of  the  great  transept  of  the  abbey  church,  the 
massive  octagonal  tower,  of  a  height  of  sixty 
metres,  another  slighter  octagonal  cloclier,  and 
the  Chapelle  des  Bourbons. 

Cluny's  old  houses,  or  such  of  them  as  re- 
main, have  been  to  a  large  extent  rebuilt  and  re- 
modelled, but  still  enough  remains  to  suggest 
that  the  old  monastic  city  was  a  place  of  lux- 
ury-loving and  worldly  citizens  as  well  as 
monks.  Here  and  there  a  flying  stair,  a  bal- 
cony, a  loggia,  or  a  rez-de-Chausee  arcade  sug- 
gests a  detail  almost  Italian  in  its  motive. 
Colonnettes  divide  a  range  of  windows  and  pi- 
lasters support  stone  balconies  and  terraces 
here  and  there  in  a  most  pleasing  manner,  and 
with  a  most  surprising  frequency,  —  a  fre- 
quency which  is  the  more  pleasing,  since,  as  has 
been  said,  scarcely  anything  of  the  sort  is  to  be 
seen  here  in  more  than  fragmentary  form, 
though  indeed  all  the  architectural  orders  and 
devices  of  the  ingenious  mediaeval  builder  are 
to  be  noted.  The  Eevolution  respected  Cluny, 
but  the  Empire  and  ''  La  Bande  Noire  "  con- 
demned it  to  destruction. 

The  Abbatial  Palace,  a  palatial  dependence 
of  the  abbey,  where  lodged  visiting  potentates 


Macon,  Cluny  and  the  Charollais    161 

and  prelates,  escaped  entire  destruction,  and  is 
to-day  the  chief  ornament  of  the  town.  A  na- 
tional educational  institution  now  occupies  the 
halls  and  apartments  of  this  great  building 
where  lords  and  seigneurs  and  churchmen  once 
held  their  conclaves. 

A  fine  Gothic  portal  leads  to  the  inner  court 
of  this  magnificent  edifice,  which  was  erected 
by  two  abbes,  Jean  de  Bourbon  and  Jacques 
d'Amboise.  Each  had  built  a  separate  dwelling 
on  either  side  of  the  great  portal.  That  of  the 
Cardinal  de  Bourbon  is  unlovely  enough,  as  such 
edifices  go,  but  has  an  air  of  a  certain  sumptu- 
ousness  notwithstanding.  That  of  Jacques 
d'Amboise  is  a  highly  ornate  work  of  the  Re- 
naissance, and  now  serves  as  the  Hotel  de  Ville, 
whilst  the  other  houses  a  local  museum  and 
library. 

A  garden  of  the  formal  order  surrounds  the 
two  edifices  and  covers  a  goodly  bit  of  the 
ground  formerly  occupied  by  the  other  build- 
ings attached  to  the  abbey.  Entrance  to  this 
garden,  and  its  Palais  Abbatial,  as  the  en- 
semble is  officially  known,  is  through  a  double 
Romanesque  portal,  as  much  a  militant  note  as 
the  rest  is  religious. 

Cluny 's  Hotel  Dieu  is  another  remarkable 
souvenir  of  old.     Within  are  various  monu- 


162  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

ments  and  statues  of  churchmen  and  nobles 
which  give  it  at  once  a  lien  on  one's  regard. 
There  is  a  luxurious  monument  to  one  of  the 
Abbes  of  Cluny;  another,  that  the  Cardinal  de 
Bouillon  erected  to  his  father,  Maurice  de  la 
Tour  d'Auvergne,  Due  Souverain  de  Bouillon, 
Prince  Souverain  de  Sedan. 

Here  and  there  about  the  town  an  old  feudal 
tower  or  house-front  juts  out  in  close  com- 
munion with  some  banal  modern  fagade,  but  the 
whole  aspect  of  the  city  of  some  four  thousand 
inhabitants  to-day  is,  when  viewed  from  a  dis- 
tant approach,  as  of  a  feudal  city  with  no  mod- 
ernities whatever.  Near  acquaintance  dis- 
abuses one  of  this  idea,  but,  regardless  of  this, 
the  aspect  of  Cluny,  the  monastery  and  the  city, 
is  one  of  imposing  and  harmonious  grandeur, 
hardly  to  be  likened  to  any  similar  ensemble  in 
France  or  beyond  the  frontiers. 

Near  Cluny,  in  the  heart  of  the  ''  Black  Val- 
ley," is  the  Chateau  de  Cormatin,  belonging  to 
a  M.  Gunsbourg,  and  containing  an  important 
collection  of  pictures  and  furniture,  all  of  them 
antique,  which  are  cordially  submitted  to  the 
gaze  of  the  curious  upon  a  diplomatic  re- 
quest. 

Eising  from  the  plain,  on  the  road  to  Tour- 
nus,  is  the  Chateau  de  BrauQion,  a  feudal  relic 


Macon,  Cluny  and  the  CharoUais    163 

and  not  much  more,  but  proclaiming  its  former 
military  glory  as  if  its  history  had  been  epoch- 
making,  which  it  probably  was  not,  as  there  is 
but  scant  reference  to  it  in  local  annals. 

As  one  approaches  Macon  by  road  from  the 
north  or  west,  great  villas  and  "  chateaux  de 
commerce  "  line  every  kilometre  of  the  way. 
Some  are  ancient  and  historic,  though  in  no 
really  great  sense ;  others  are  modern  and  ban- 
ally,  painfully,  well-kept  and  whitewashed  — 
only  the  badigeon  is  pink  or  blue  or  green, 
painted  one  can  readily  believe  by  the  artist 
(sic)  descendants  of  the  Italians  who  once  in- 
habited the  region  in  large  numbers.  There  are 
overhanging  balconies  on  all  sides;  balus- 
trades, terraces  and  loggias  relieve  the  mo- 
notony of  most  of  the  facades,  and  indeed,  it  is 
as  if  a  comer  of  Italy  had  been  transported  to 
mid-France. 

Macon  is  a  picturesque  ensemble  of  much 
that  is  ancient,  but  the  smugness  of  the  place, 
its  undeniable  air  of  modernity  and  prosperity, 
have  done  much  to  discount  what  few  well  con- 
served architectural  charms  it  still  possesses. 
This  is  true  of  great  churches  and  palatial 
dwellings  alike,  though  there  are  many  unde- 
niably fine  bits  here  and  there  which,  if  one 
only  knew,  perhaps  possess  a  history  as  thrill- 


164  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

ing  as  that  enjoyed  by  many  more  noble  edi- 
fices. 

For  one  of  the  best  impressions  of  Macon  it 
is  possible  to  have,  there  is  nothing  better  than 
Turner's  jDainting  "  Macon,"  or  a  photographic 
copy  thereof.  It  is  a  drawing  which  until  re- 
cently was  never  engraved.  Turner  and  his  en- 
gravers never  dared  attempt  it,  so  complex  was 
the  light  and  shadow  of  the  vintage  sun  shining 
on  the  hillsides  and  valleys  of  the  Cote  d'Or. 
Recently  Frank  Short  made  a  mezzotint  of  it, 
and  it  stands  to-day  as  one  of  the  most  express- 
ive topographical  drawings  extant. 

Macon  was  originally  the  capital  of  a  petit 
pays,  the  Maconnais,  and  is  to-day,  in  local  par- 
lance. In  former  times  it  was  the  governmental 
seat  of  a  line  of  petty  sovereigns,  from  the  day 
of  Louis-le-Debonnaire  until  the  country  passed 
into  the  hands  of  the  ducal  Burgundians.  From 
this  time  forth,  though  forming  a  component 
part  of  the  great  duchy,  the  region  was  settled 
frequently  upon  various  members  of  the  parent 
house  as  a  vassal  state  where  the  younger 
branch  might  wield  a  little  power  of  its  own 
without  complicating  the  affairs  of  the  greater 
government. 

In  Revolutionary  times  Macon  was  consid- 
ered by  the  Republicans  as  ''  a  hateful  aristo- 


Macon,  Cluny  and  the  Charollais    165 

cratic  hole."  This  being  so,  one  wonders  that 
more  souvenirs  of  roj-alty  have  not  remained. 

In  feudal  times  the  city  was  enclosed  by  an 
enceinte  cut  with  six  great  gates,  supported  by 
an  inner  citadel.  These  walls  and  bastions 
were  demolished  later,  and  the  city  was  almost 
alone  among  those  of  Burgundy  to  freely  open 
its  doors  to  the  Ligueurs  and  Henri  IV.  From 
this  time  on  important  historical  events  seem 
to  have  avoided  ]\[acon. 

The  site  of  Macon's  ancient  citadel  is  now 
occupied  by  the  Prefecture.  It  was  formerly 
the  Episcopal  Palace,  a  regal  dwelling  which 
the  bishops  of  other  days  must  have  found 
greatly  to  their  liking.  It  is  the  nearest  thing 
to  a  chateau  which  Macon  possesses  to-day. 

The  Hotel  de  Ville  is  a  banal  structure  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  the  gift  of  the  Comte  de 
Montreval,  fonnerly  his  family  residence.  The 
Palais  de  Justice  is  also  a  made-over  hotel- 
privee  and  has  some  architectural  distinctions, 
but  there  is  nothing  here  to  take  rank  among 
the  castles  and  chateaux  of  the  rest  of  the  Bur- 
gundian  countryside. 

Southwest  from  Mticon,  scarce  thirty  kilo- 
metres away,  is  a  romantic  little  corner  of  old 
France  known  to  the  French  themselves  — 
those  who  know  it  at  all  —  as  the  Pays  de  La- 


166  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

martine.  The  little  townlets  of  Milly  and  Saint- 
Pont  were  the  cradle  and  the  refuge  of  Lamar- 
tine,  who  so  loved  this  part  of  France  extend- 
ing from  the  Loire  to  Lac  Leman  and  the  Alps. 

The  political  world  of  the  capital,  into  whose 
vortex  the  great  litterateur  was  irresistibly 
drawn,  had  not  a  tithe  of  the  effect  upon  his 
character  as  compared  with  that  evoked  by  the 
solitudes  of  his  Burgundian  patrie  and  his 
Alpes  de  Chambery. 

Milly,  here  in  the  midst  of  the  opulent  plains 
and  hillsides  of  Bm'gundy,  is  a  spot  so  calm 
and  so  simply  environed  that  one  can  not  but 
feel  somewhat  of  the  inspiration  of  the  man 
who  called  it  his  "  chere  maisony 

A  half  a  dozen  kilometres  from  Milly  is 
Saint-Pont  surrounded  by  a  magnificent  fra- 
ming of  rounded  summits  forming  one  of  those 
grandiose  landscapes  of  which  Lamartine  so 
often  wrote: 

"  Oui,  VTiomme  est  trop  petit,  ce  spectacle  Vecrase." 

Here  is  the  Chateau  de  Lamartine,  not  a 
tourist  sight  by  any  means,  at  least  not  an 
over-done  one,  but  a  shrine  as  worthy  of  con- 
templation and  admiration  as  many  another 
more  grand  and  more  popular. 

Seated  snugly  at  the  foot  of  a  wooded  slope, 


Macon,  Cluny  and  the  Charollais    167 

the  chateau,  flanked  with  two  great  towers, 
hfts  its  serrated  sky-Une  proudly  above  the 
reddish,  ochre- washed  walls  (a  colour  dear  to 
the  folk  of  the  Maconnais)  high  above  the  level 
of  the  roofs  of  the  town  below. 

A  more  massive  square  tower  sets  further  to 
the  rear,  and  a  toureUe,  with  a  pointed  candle- 
snuffer  roof,  accentuates  the  militant  aspect  of 
the  edifice,  though  indeed  its  claims  rest  en- 
tirely on  the  arts  of  peace  to  the  exclusion  of 
those  of  war. 

Here,  in  the  family  chateau,  Alphonse-Marie- 
Louis-de-Lamartine  passed  the  happiest  years 
of  his  life.  This  was  at  a  time  when  the  pomp 
of  power  which  he  afterwards  tasted  as  ^linis- 
ter  of  Foreign  Affairs,  after  the  abdication  of 
Louis  Philippe,  had  no  attraction  for  him. 

"  II  est  sur  la  colline 
Une  blanche  maison, 
Une  tour  la  domine, 
Un  buisxon  d'aubepine 
Est  tout  son  horizon." 

As  Lamartine  himself  wrote:  ''  Nothing  here 
will  remind  one  of  luxury;  it  is  simply  the 
aspect  of  a  great  farm  where  the  owners  live 
the  simple  life  in  a  great  block  of  a  silent  dwell- 
ing." These  words  describe  the  Chateau  de 
Lamartine  very  well  to-day. 


168  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Saint-Pont  and  the  Chateau  de  Lamartine 
are  well  worth  half  a  day  of  anyone  who  is 
found  at  Macon  and  not  hard  pressed  to  move 
on. 

Near  Saint-Pont  is  the  ancient  Chateau  de 
Noble,  belonging,  in  1558,  to  Nicolas  de  Pisa, 
and,  in  1789,  to  Claude  de  la  Beaune.  It  is  not 
a  splendid  structure  in  any  architectural  sense, 
but  a  most  curious  and  appealing  one.  Its  chief 
distinction  comes  from  its  two  pointed  coiffed 
towers,  one  at  either  end  of  a  high  sloping 
gable. 

Repairs  and  restorations  made  since  the  Rev- 
olution have  deprived  it  of  the  ancient  ram- 
parts which  once  entirely  surrounded  it,  but 
the  romantic  and  curious  aspect  of  the  main 
body  of  the  structure,  and  those  all-impressive, 
svelt,  sky-piercing  towers,  make  it  seem  too 
quaint  to  be  real.  Certainly  no  more  remark- 
able use  of  such  adjuncts  to  a  seigneurial  cha- 
teau has  ever  been  made  than  these  towers. 
Here  they  are  not  massive,  nor  particularly  tall, 
but  their  proportions  are  seemingly  just  what 
they  ought  to  be.  They  are,  at  any  rate,  en- 
tirely in  accord  with  the  rest  of  the  structure, 
and  that  is  what  much  modern  architecture 
lacks. 


Macon,  Cluny  and  the  Charollais    169 


"33  L»N  c^jL  Tvl  O^ti'VtaS 


CHAPTEE   XII 

IN   THE   BEAUJOLAIS   AND   LYONNAIS 

South  from  Chalon,  by  the  banks  of  the 
Saone,  lies  the  Beaujolais,  a  wine-growing 
region  which  partakes  of  many  of  the  character- 
istics of  the  Cote  d'Or  itself.  Further  south, 
beyond  Macon,  the  aspect  of  the  Lyonnais  is 
something  quite  different.  All  is  of  a  bustle 
and  hustle  of  the  feverish  life  of  to-day,  whilst 
in  the  Beaujolais  pursuits  are  agricultural. 
Each  of  these  regions  is  profoundly  wealthy 
and  prosperous,  an  outgrowth,  naturally 
enough,  of  the  opulent  times  of  old,  for  here, 
as  in  the  heart  of  Burgundy,  the  conditions  of 
life  were  ever  ample  and  easy. 

Throughout  the  countryside  of  the  Beaujo- 
lais and  the  Maconnais  one  notes  a  manner  of 
building  with  respect  to  the  meaner  dwellings 
which,  to  say  the  least,  is  most  curious.  These 
small  houses  are  built  of  a  species  of  sun-dried 
bricks  or  lumps  of  clay.  It  seems  satisfactory ; 
as  satisfactory  as  would  be  an  adobe  dwelling 

170 


Beaujolais  and  Lyonnais  171 

—  in  a  dry  climate.  But  here  in  times  of  flood 
those  built  in  the  river  bottoms  have  been 
known  to  melt  away  like  the  sand  castles  of 
children  at  the  seashore. 

The  present  Departement  of  the  Saone-et- 
Loire  was  evolved  from  the  very  midst  of  the 
Burgundian  kingdom,  and  comprises  chiefly  the 
mediaeval  Comtes  of  the  Autunnois,  Chalonnais, 
Maconnais  and  Charollais.  The  Komans  were 
the  real  exploiters  of  all  this  region,  and  only 
with  the  pillage  of  the  Normans,  and  the 
successive  civil  and  religious  wars,  did  the 
break-up  of  Burgundy  really  come  to  be  an  as- 
sured fact. 

Chalon-sur-Saone  itself  is  most  attractive  — 
in  parts.  As  a  whole  it  is  disappointing,  Fran- 
cois Premier  built  the  fortifications  of  Chalon 
in  1521,  and  half  a  century  later  Charles  IX 
constructed  the  citadel  —  "to  hold  the  town 
in  subjection,  and  the  inhabitants  in  igno- 
rance. ' ' 

Dijon  was  the  city  of  the  media?val  counts; 
Chalon  was  a  city  of  churchmen.  Nevertheless 
the  bishops  of  the  episcopal  city  bore  the  title 
of  Counts,  and  of  its  churches  which  remain 
none  is  more  typical  of  the  best  of  Eomanesque 
in  France  than  the  nave  and  side  aisles  of 
Chalon 's  Cathedral  de  Saint  Vincent. 


172  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Chalon's  monuments  of  the  feudality  are  few 
indeed  to-day;  they  and  their  histories  have 
been  well  nigh  forgotten,  but  here  and  there 
some  fine  old  gable  or  portico  springs  into  view 
unannounced,  and  one  readily  enough  pictures 
again  the  life  of  the  lords  and  ladies  who  lived 
within  their  walls,  whilst  to-day  they  are  given 
over  to  matter  of  fact,  work-a-day  uses  with 
little  or  no  sentimental  or  romantic  atmosphere 
about  them. 

There  is  no  distinct  official  edifice  at  Chalon 
which  takes  up  its  position  as  a  chateau,  or 
manoir,  at  least  none  of  great  renown,  though 
a  rebuilt  old  church  now  transformed  into  a 
hotel  of  the  second  or  third  rate  order  is  one 
of  the  most  curiously  adapted  edifices  of  its 
class  anywhere  to  be  seen. 

What  a  great  family  the  Chalonnais  were  is 
recalled  by  the  fact  that  in  the  sixteenth  century 
all  the  folk  of  the  city  were  regarded  as  cousins. 
This  is  taking  the  situation  by  and  large,  but 
certain  it  was  that  a  community  of  family  liens 
as  well  as  interests  did  tend  to  make  this  rela- 
tionship notable.  Furthermore  each  of  the 
trades  and  metiers  herded  by  themselves  in  real 
clansman  fashion,  the  nail-makers  in  the  Eue 
des  Cloutiers,  the  boiler-makers  in  the  Rue  des 
Chandronniers  and  the  barrel-makers  in  the 


Beaujolais  and  Lyonnais  173 

Kue  des  Tonneliers.  And  there  was  a  quarter, 
or  faubourg,  devoted  to  the  priests  and  monks, 
as  well  as  another  where  none  but  the  nobility, 
were  allowed  to  be  abroad. 

To  the  west  of  Chalon  are  two  famous  vine- 
yards, Touches  and  Mercurey,  surrounded  by 
mere  hamlets,  there  being  no  populous  centres 
nearer  than  Givry  or  Chalon.  One  remarks 
these  two  famous  vineyards  because  of  their 
repute,  and  because  of  the  neighbouring  superb 
ruin  of  the  mediaeval  Chateau  de  Montaigu 
which  crowns  a  hill  lying  between  the  two 
properties. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  Chalon  are  numerous 
little  towns  of  no  rank  whatever  as  historic  or 
artistic  shrines,  but  bearing  the  suffix  of  Royal. 
It  is  most  curious  to  note  that  many  have 
changed  their  nomenclature  —  as  it  was  before 
the  Revolution.  Saint  Gengoux-le-Eoyal  and 
ten  other  parishes  all  dropped  the  Royal,  and 
became  known  as  Saint  Gengoux-le-National, 
etc.  Donzy-le-Royal  was  not  so  fortunate  in 
its  position.  Saint  Gengoux  has  gained  noth- 
ing by  its  spasm  of  republicanism.  It  is  not 
more  national  to-day  than  Cavaillon  or  Car- 
pentras,  whereas  the  suffix  Royal  meant,  if  it 
meant  anything,  that  it  was  an  indication  of 
its  ancient  rank  when  it  belonged  directly  to 


174  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

the  crown  of  France.  Eepublicanism  did  not 
change  its  allegiance,  only  its  name. 

The  diligence  from  Paris  stopped  at  Chalon- 
sur-Saone  in  the  old  days  and  passengers  made 
their  way  to  Lyons  by  the  river.  Colbert  it  was 
who  sought  to  develop  the  service  of  caches 
d'eau  on  the  Saone  between  Chalon  and  Lyons. 
He  carried  the  thing  so  far,  in  1669,  that  he  sup- 
pressed the  public  diligence  by  land  which  had 
formerly  made  the  journey  between  the  two 
capitals.  This  was  not  accomplished  without 
a  live  protestation  from  the  residents  of  the  ter- 
minal cities. 

In  the  last  days  of  the  malle-poste,  when 
Chalon  was  the  end  of  the  journey  from  Paris, 
four  steamboats  of  a  primitive  order  competed 
for  the  privilege  of  carrying  passengers  from 
Chalon  to  Lyons. 

To-day  the  service  has  been  suppressed ;  the 
''  piroscliapes,"  as  they  were  called,  have  gone 
the  way  of  the  mail  coaches.  Travel  to-day  is 
accomplished  with  more  comfort  and  more  ex- 
pedition. 

Below  Chalon,  following  down  the  Saone, 
within  a  league,  one  comes  to  Toise,  with  a  cele- 
brated chateau,  almost  wholly  ignored  to-day 
when  checking  off  the  historical  monuments  of 
France.    And  this  is  true  in  spite  of  the  fact 


Beaujolais  and  Lyonnais  175 

that  it  was  here  within  the  walls  of  the  Chateau 
de  Toise  that  was  signed  the  famous  treaty  be- 
tween Henri  IV  and  the  Due  de  Mayenne.  The 
chateau  is  simply  an  admirable  Kenaissance 
monument  of  its  time  with  no  very  remarkable 
features  or  history  save  that  noted  above.  This 
is  enough  to  make  it  better  known  and  more 
often  visited,  if  only  glanced  at  in  passing. 
The  author  hopes  the  suggestion  may  be  taken 
in  earnest  by  those  interested. 

Midway  between  Macon  and  Chalon  is  Tour- 
nus,  the  site  of  a  chateau-fort  built  by  the 
Franks,  and  also  of  an  abbey  founded  by 
Charles-le-Chauve  in  875  a.  d.  This  monarch 
gave  the  abbey  a  charter  as  proprietor  of  the 
city  of  Tournus  in  consideration  of  the  monks 
putting  it  and  its  inhabitants  under  the  protec- 
tion of  the  Virgin  and  Saint  Philibert.  He  also 
made  the  congregation  of  monks  of  the  order 
of  Saint  Benoit  '^  fermiers  "  of  this  ''  celestial 
doynain." 

The  Abbes  of  Tournus  were  a  powerful  race, 
rivalling  the  princes  and  dukes  of  other  fiefs, 
and  owning  allegiance  only  to  the  king  and 
Pope,  more  often  to  the  latter  than  to  the  for- 
mer. Among  them  were  numbered  no  less  than 
eight  cardinals  in  the  fifty-nine  who  ruled  the 
city  and  the  "  domain." 


176  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

The  monastery  itself  has  become  a  sort  of 
institution,  a  secular  lodging  house,  but  its  fine 
church  still  remains  as  one  of  the  most  famous 
Komanesque-Burgundian  examples  of  its  time. 

Above  Tournus,  high  on  the  hill  back  of  the 
town,  sits  a  disused  ancient  fabric,  a  former 
Benedictine  abbey.  Its  abbes  had  the  right  to 
wear  the  pontifical  vestments,  and  to  administer 
justice  to  the  city  and  its  neighbouring  depend- 
encies. More  like  an  antique  fortress  than  a 
religious  foundation,  it  is  the  most  ambitious 
and  striking  edifice  now  to  be  seen  in  Tournus. 

Tournus  has  an  artistic  shrine  of  great  mo- 
ment and  interest,  although  its  architectural  de- 
tails comport  little  with  the  really  dignified 
examples  of  mediaeval  architecture.  It  is  the 
birthplace  of  the  painter  Greuze,  and  before  its 
arcades  rises  a  monument  to  his  memory.  The 
great  painter  of  the  idealist  school  was  born 
here.  In  the  local  museum  are  nearly  five  hun- 
dred designs  from  his  hand. 

Opposite  Tournus,  in  mid-Saone,  is  a  strip  of 
flat  island  known  as  the  Ile-de-la-Palme,  a  mor- 
sel of  alluvial  soil  respected  by  centuries  of 
spring  floods  which  have  passed  it  by  on  either 
side,  and  indeed,  often  over  its  surface.  The 
Helvetians,  quitting  their  country  in  ancient 
times,  invaded  Gaul  and  made  use  of  the  Ile-de- 


Beaujolais  and  Lyonnais  177 

la-Palme  to  cross  the  Saone,  aided  by  either 
pontoons  or  rafts.  Centuries  later,  after  the 
bloody  battle  of  Fontenay,  the  son  of  Louis- 
le-Debonnaire  held  a  conference  on  this  isle 
with  regard  to  the  division  of  the  conquered 
territory.  Thus  it  is  that  the  Ile-de-la-Palme 
in  the  Saone  has  something  in  common  with, 
that  other  historic  island  in  the  Bidassoa 
where  France  and  Spain  played  a  game  of 
give  and  take  in  the  sixteenth  century. 

A  short  distance  from  the  east  bank  of  the 
Saone  is  Romenay  in  the  heart  of  the  Cha- 
lonnais.  It  is  a  relic  of  an  ancient  fortified 
city,  a  townlet  to-day  of  less  than  six  hundred 
inhabitants,  though  once,  judging  from  the 
remains  of  its  oldtime  ramparts,  much  more 
extensive  and  influential. 

Saint  Trivier-de-Courtes,  like  Romenay, 
has  little  more  than  a  bare  half  a  thousand 
of  population  to-day,  though  it  was  once  a 
noble  outpost  planted  by  the  Dues  de  Savoie, 
the  masters  of  Bresse,  against  the  possible 
invasion  of  the  Burgundians  and  the  French 
from  the  north. 

At  Bage-le-Chatel,  between  Macon  and 
Bourg,  rises  a  grim  reminder  of  the  feudal- 
ity. It  is  the  silhouette  of  the  fine  old  castle 
of  the  ancient  Seigneurs  de  Bage. 


178  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Passing  Macon  by,  and  still  following  the 
Saone,  one  comes  in  a  dozen  or  twenty  kilo- 
metres to  Thoissey,  a  town  which  has  not  been 
greatly  in  evidence  these  latter  days.  It  is  a 
somnolent  little  city  of  the  ancient  Principality 
of  Dombes,  that  disputed  ground  of  the  Bur- 
gundians  and  the  Savoyards  in  the  middle  ages. 
Only  from  the  fact  that  it  was  the  birthplace  of 
Commandant  Marchand  of  the  ill-fated  Fas- 
choda  expedition  would  it  ever  have  been  men- 
tioned in  the  public  prints  of  the  last  genera- 
tion. 

In  good  old  monarchial  days  it  was  different. 
Then  Thoissey  set  an  aristocratic  example  to 
many  a  neighbour  more  prosjDerous  and  better 
known  to-day.  The  Princes  de  Dombes  had  a 
chateau  here,  and  they  embellished  the  local 
Hospice  in  a  way  that  made  it  almost  a  rival  of 
that  other  establishment  of  its  class  at  Beaune. 
Throughout  Thoissey  there  were,  and  are  still, 
many  admirable  examples  of  the  town  houses 
of  the  nobles  and  courtiers  of  the  little  State  of 
Dombes.  Thoissey  was  the  miniature  capital 
of  a  miniature  kingdom.  The  local  "  college  " 
still  shows  evidences  of  a  luxuriant  conception 
of  architectural  decoration  with  its  finely  sculp- 
tured window  frames  and  doorways. 

The  most  striking  incident  of  Thoissey 's  ca- 


Beaujolais  and  Lyonnais  179 

reer  was  when  the  Seigneur  de  Bage  attacked 
the  Seigneur  de  Thoissey,  who  was  at  the  time 
the  Sire  de  Beaujeaii,  in  his  stronghold.  The 
latter  called  the  Due  de  Bourbon  to  his  aid  and 
thus  brought  about  an  inter-province  imbroglio 
which  necessitated  the  intervention  of  the  King 
of  France  as  mediator,  though  without  immedi- 
ate success.  The  litigation  finally  went  before 
Pope  Clement  VII  (a  French  Pope,  by  the 
way),  and  only  in  1408,  a  quarter  of  a  century 
after  the  feud  began,  did  the  Due  de  Bourbon, 
who  meantime  had  become  also  the  Sire  de 
Beaujeau,  succeed  in  throwing  off  his  adver- 
saries. 

Thoissey  during  the  time  of  the  Ligue,  or 
more  particularly  its  Seigneur,  threw  in  its 
lot  with  Mayenne,  who  ultimately,  when  he 
finally  went  over  to  his  royal  master,  caused 
the  Chateau  de  Thoissey  to  be  razed  to  earth. 
This  is  why  to-day  one  sees  only  the  heap  of 
stones,  locally  called  "  the  chateau,"  which,  to 
be  appreciated,  require  a  healthy  imagination 
and  some  knowledge  of  the  situation. 

At  Belleville-sur-Saone  is  a  little  strip  of  the 
earth's  surface  called  by  the  French  the  finest 
panorama  in  the  world  and  "  le  plus  bel  lieu 
de  Prance."  It  is  beautiful,  even  beyond 
words,   a   smiling   radiant   river   valley   with 


180  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

nearly  all  the  artistic  attributes  which  go  to 
make  up  the  ideal  landscape.  Just  how  near  it 
comes  to  being  the  finest  view  in  the  world  is 
a  matter  of  opinion.  The  New  Zealander  thinks 
that  he  has  that  little  corner  of  God's  green 
earth,  and  so  does  many  a  down-east  farmer, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  man  from  the  Missouri 
Valley  and  the  occasional  Scotch  Highlander. 

The  tiny  little  city  of  Anse  has  few  recollec- 
tions for  most  travellers,  but  it  possesses  an  ad- 
mirable ruin  of  a  chateau-fortress,  with  two 
towers  bronzed  by  time  and  still  proudly  erect. 
This  ruin,  together  with  the  memory  that  Au- 
gustus once  had  a  palace  here  in  the  ancient 
Anita  of  the  Romans,  and  the  neighbouring 
ruin  of  the  chateau  of  the  Sires  de  Villars  over 
towards  Trevoux,  are  all  that  Anse  has  to-day 
for  the  curious  save  its  delightful  situation  in 
a  bend  of  the  Saone. 

Opposite  Belleville-sur-Saone  is  Montmerle. 
In  the  middle  ages  it  was  one  of  the  sentinel 
cities  which  guarded  the  Principality  of 
Dombes.  Sieges  and  assaults  without  number 
were  its  portion,  from  the  Bourguignons,  the 
troops  of  the  Sire  de  Beaujeau,  the  Dauphinois 
and  the  Counts  and  Dukes  of  Savoy. 

The  imposing  ruins  of  the  former  chateau- 


Beaujolais  and  Lyonnais  181 

fortress  tell  the  story  of  its  mighty  struggle 
which  endured  for  nearly  a  century.  For  the 
most  part  the  bulk  of  the  material  of  which  it 
was  built  has  disappeared,  or  at  least  has  been 
built  up  into  other  works,  but  the  massive  signal 
tower  which  once  bolstered  up  the  main  portal 
still  rises  high  above  the  waters  of  the  Saone. 
The  tower  supposedly  dates  from  the  twelfth 
century  —  the  period  to  which  belonged  the 
chateau  —  and  is  distinguished  by  its  hardiness 
and  height  rather  than  for  its  solidity  and 
massiveness. 

At  Farcins,  near-by,  is  a  magnificent  and  still 
habitable  chateau  of  the  end  of  the  reign  of 
Henri  IV,  built  by  Jean  de  Seve,  Conseiller  du 
Roi,  on  the  plans  of  Baptiste  Androuet  du 
Cerceau.  From  Montmerle  one  may  see  the 
towers  and  roofs  of  half  a  dozen  other  minor 
chateaux  of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  cen- 
turies scattered  here  and  there  through  the 
Beaujolais,  but  nothing  distinctive  arrests  one's 
attention  until  Villefranche  and  Trevoux  are 
reached. 

The  Sires  de  Beaujeau,  from  motives  of  pol- 
icy if  from  no  other,  ever  respected  the  privilege 
of  Villefranche  (founded  by  Humbert  TV). 
The  traditions  of  Villefranche 's  old  Auberge  du 


182  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Mouton  are  classic,  and  have  been  used  time 
and  again  by  playwright  and  novelist  without 
even  acknowledgment  to  history.  It  was  here 
in  the  ' '  Free  City  ' '  beside  the  Rhone  that  Ed- 
ward IT  swore  to  observe  the  city's  claims  of 
municipal  liberty. 

Villefranche  has  no  other  notable  monuments 
save  the  Hotel  de  Ville  of  to-day,  which  is  an 
admirable  Eenaissance  town  house,  and  another 
equally  striking  in  the  Rue  Nationale.  The  lat- 
ter is  almost  palatial  in  its  proportions. 

Just  below  Villefranche  is  Trevoux,  the  an- 
cient capital  of  the  Principality  of  Dombes.  It 
comes  into  the  lime-light  here  only  because  of 
its  ruined  castle  on  a  height  above  the  town 
which  travellers  by  road  or  rail  cannot  fail  to 
remark  even  if  they  do  not  think  it  worth  while 
to  become  intimately  acquainted. 

The  old  castle  is  situated  on  the  summit  of  a 
hill  to  the  west  of  the  town,  its  two  black- 
banded  towers  of  the  middle  ages  proclaiming 
loudly  the  era  of  its  birth.  The  octagonal  don- 
jon is  a  master- work  of  its  kind  and  dates  from 
the  twelfth  century.  Since  the  Revolution  this 
remarkable  donjon  has  been  shorn  of  a  good 
two-thirds  of  its  former  height,  and  the  effect 
is  now  rather  stubby.  With  another  twenty 
metres  to  its  credit  it  must  indeed  have  been 


Beaujolais  and  Lyonnais  183 

imposing,  as  well  by  its  coustruction  as  its  situ- 
ation. It  is  no  wonder  that  this  powerful  de- 
fence was  able  to  resist  the  attack  of  the  Sire 
de  Varambon,  who,  after  capturing  the  city, 
sought  vainly  to  take  the  chateau  in  1431.  It 
was  a  cruel  victory  indeed,  for  the  wilful  sei- 
gneur, not  content  with  capturing  the  city,  drove 
out  all  its  wealthy  and  comfortably  rich  inhabit- 
ants and  charged  them  a  price  of  admission  to 
get  in  again,  mutilating  their  persons  in  a  shock- 
ing manner  if  they  did  not  disgorge  all  of  their 
treasure  as  the  price  of  this  privilege. 

The  local  seigneur,  his  family  and  immediate 
retainers,  were  meanwhile  huddled  within  the 
walls  of  the  chateau  and  only  escaped  starva- 
tion at  the  hands  of  the  victor  by  his  having 
tired  of  the  game  of  siege  and  by  his  with- 
drawal, carrying  with  him  all  the  loot  which 
he  could  gather  together  and  transport. 

It  was  at  Trevoux  that  the  Jesuits  compiled 
the  celebrated  Dictionary  and  Journal  which 
made  such  a  furor  in  the  literary  annals  of  the 
eighteenth  century. 

With  the  exception  of  Francois  Premier  all 
of  the  French  monarchs  from  Philippe- Auguste 
down  to  Louis  XIV  acknowledged  the  independ- 
ence of  the  Principality  of  Dombes,  and  owed 
them    the    allegiance    of    supplying   men    and 


184  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

money  in  case  they  were  attacked.  The  Parlia- 
ment met  at  Trevoux  and  the  Principality  was 
one  of  the  earliest  and  smallest  political  divi- 
sions of  France  to  coin  its  own  money. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

THE  FRANCHE  COMTE  :    ATJXONNE  AND  BESANgON 

East  of  Dijon,  from  the  centre  of  which  radi- 
ated Burgundian  influence  and  power,  was  a 
proud  and  independent  political  di\'ision  which, 
until  1330,  never  allied  itself  intimately  with 
the  royal  domain  of  the  French  kings  nor  with 
Burgundy.  From  this  time,  as  a  part  of  the 
Burgundian  dukedom,  it  retained  the  right  to 
be  known  as  the  Franche  Comte,  and  was  even 
then  exempted  from  many  impositions  and  du- 
ties demanded  of  other  allied  fiefs:  ''  Bur  gun- 
dice  Comitatus,  Liber  ComitaUis,"  was  its  of- 
ficial title. 

It  is  characteristic  of  the  independent  spirit 
of  the  people  of  these  parts  that  they  should  tell 
Henri  IV,  who  praised  the  wine  they  offered 
him,  when  he  was  making  a  stay  among  them, 
and  was  being  entertained  in  Besancon's  cita- 
del, that  they  had  a  much  better  one  in  the 
cellar  which  they  were  saving  for  a  more  au- 
gust occasion. 

186 


186  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

The  Franche  Comte  is  in  no  sense  a  tourist 
region;  its  varied  topography  has  not  been 
given  even  a  glance  of  the  eye  by  most  conven- 
tional tourists,  and  its  historical  souvenirs  have 
been  almost  entirely  ignored  by  the  makers  of 
romances  and  stage-plays.  Switzerland-bound 
travellers  have  an  excellent  opportunity  to  be- 
come acquainted  with  this  comparatively  little 
known  corner  of  old  France  as  they  rush  across 
it  by  express  train  via  Pontarlier,  but  few  avail 
themselves  thereof.  For  this  reason,  if  no 
other,  the  architectural  monuments  of  the 
Franche  Comte  come  upon  one  as  genuine  sur- 
prises. 

From  Dijon  our  way  lay  through  Genlis  and 
Auxonne  to  Besancon,  and  there  is  no  better 
way  of  approaching  the  heart  of  things,  though 
it  will  require  some  courage  on  the  part  of 
travellers  by  train  to  accommodate  themselves 
to  the  inconvenient  hours  of  departure  and  ar- 
rival. The  traveller  by  road  will  have  a  much 
easier  and  a  much  more  enjoyable  time  of  it; 
and  right  here  is  a  suggestion  of  a  new  ground 
for  touring  automobilists  who  may  be  tired  of 
well-worn  roads.  It  is  just  as  enjoyable  to  hunt 
out  historic  monuments  with  an  automobile  as 
with  a  Cook's  ticket  and  a  railway  train  —  more 
so,  some  of  us  think.     It  would  certainlv  not 


The  Franche  Comte  187 

have  been  possible  for  the  makers  of  this  book 
to  have  otherwise  got  over  the  ground  covered 
herein,  so  let  not  the  ultra-sentimentalist  decry 
the  modern  mode  of  locomotion. 

Winding  its  way  between  the  confines  of  Bur- 
gundy and  the  Comte  the  highroad  from  Paris 
to  Pontarlier  and  Switzerland  led  us  first  to 
Auxonne.  Genlis  we  jDassed  en  route  and  al- 
most had  a  thrill  over  it  by  recalling  the  notori- 
ous Comtesse  de  Genlis.  TTe  racked  our  brains 
a  moment  and  then  remembered  that  the  cele- 
brated "  has  bleu  "  hailed  from  somewhere  in 
Picardy,  so,  then,  this  particular  Genlis  had  no 
further  interest  for  us,  above  all  in  that  there 
was  no  chateau  in  sight. 

Auxonne  (the  old  Ad  Sonam  of  the  Eomans, 
afterwards  corrupted  into  Assona,  then  Asso- 
nium  and  finally  as  it  is  to-day)  was  but  a  dozen 
kilometres  beyond  Genlis,  and,  sitting  astride 
the  great  highway  from  Paris  to  Geneva,  was 
early  a  fortified  place  of  great  strategic  im- 
portance. Vauban  traced  its  last  ramparts  and 
it  was  thought  likely  to  hold  its  rank  for  all 
time,  but  now  the  fortifications  have  disap- 
peared and  the  city  no  longer  takes  its  place 
as  a  frontier  outpost,  that  honour  having  been 
usurped  by  Besangon  in  the  Jura. 

Of  the  military  and  feudal  past  there  are  still 


188  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

vivid  memories  at  Auxonne.  The  chateau-fort 
is  still  there,  built  in  different  epochs  by- 
Louis  XI,  Charles  VIII  and  Louis  XII,  and 
these  works  combined  to  make  an  edifice  seem- 
ingly all-resistant,  or  at  least  formidable  to  a 
high  degree.  The  chateau  is  still  there,  in  part 
at  least  —  not  much  has  actually  been  despoiled, 
but  actually  the  railway  station  is  more  mili- 
tant in  aspect.  The  stranger  coming  to  Aux- 
onne for  the  first  time  —  unless  he  be  prepared 
beforehand  —  will  have  grave  doubts  at  first  as 
to  which  is  the  chateau  and  which  is  the  gare. 
The  latter  has  a  crenelated  cornice,  meurtrieres 
pierced  in  its  walls,  and  the  vague  appearance 
of  bastions,  all  of  which  are  also  found  in  the 
real  in  the  old  chateau  grimly  overlooking  the 
swift-flowing  Saone.  The  enormous  flanking 
towers  of  the  real  chateau,  in  spite  of  the  city 
having  been  shorn  of  its  prime  military  rank, 
are  still  kept  in  condition  for  the  service  of 
long-range  guns,  for  the  French  are  ever  in  a 
state  of  preparedness  for  the  invasion  which 
may  never  come.  The  lesson  of  ''  71  "  was  well 
learned. 

On  the  great  entrance  portal  of  the  chateau 
is  blazoned  a  stone-sculptured  hedgehog,  the 
devise  of  Louis  XII,  and  in  opposing  niches  are 
two  carven  angels  holding  aloft  an  escutcheon. 


The  Franche  Comte  189 

Another  doorway  is  hardly  less  impressive, 
though  somewhat  vague  as  to  the  purport  oi" 
its  ornament,  which  stands  for  nothing  military 
or  even  civic. 

This  introduction  to  the  militant  glory  of  the 
Auxouue  of  other  days  is  a  ripe  indication  of 
the  dignity  with  which  the  place  was  one  day 
enhanced.  Of  a  population  to-day  of  something 
less  than  five  thousand  souls,  the  city  shelters 
nearly  three  thousand  soldiers  of  all  arms.  Its 
warlike  aspect  can  hardly  be  said  to  have 
changed  much  from  what  it  was  of  old  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  its  importance  is  lower  down 
in  the  scale. 

Another  warlike  reminder  is  ■''he  statue  which 
rises  proudly  in  the  Place  d'Armes.  It  is  that 
of  the  Sous-Lieutenant  Bonaparte  as  he  was 
upon  his  arrival  at  Auxonne,  a  pallid  youth  just 
out  of  the  military  school  of  Brienne. 

In  the  plain  neighbouring  upon  Auxonne,  a 
sort  of  mid-France  Flanders,  is  a  populous 
town  with  a  momentous  and  romantic  history, 
albeit  its  architectural  monuments,  save  in  frag- 
ments, are  practically  nil.  The  Revolutionaiy 
authorities  took  away  its  old  name  and  called 
it  *'  Belle  Defense,"  in  memory  of  a  heroic  re- 
sistance opposed  by  the  place  to  the  invading 
Due  de  Lorraine  in  1616.    Gallas  had  freed  the 


190  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Saone  with  thirty  thousand  men,  and  with  Car- 
dinal La  Valette  at  the  head  of  his  army  (a 
cardinal  whom  Eichelieu  had  made  a  general) 
found  Dijon  so  well  guarded  that  he  turned  on 
his  steps  and  attacked  what  is  to-day  Saint 
Jean-de-Losne.  Fifty  thousand  soldiers  in  all 
finally  besieged  the  place,  and  less  than  fifteen 
hundred  of  the  inhabitants,  and  a  garrison  of 
but  a  hundred  and  fifty,  held  them  at  bay.  The 
Due  d'Enghien,  the  future  Grand  Conde,  then 
Governor  of  Burgundy,  was  able  to  send  a  fee- 
ble body  of  reinforcements  and  thus  turn  the 
tide  in  favour  of  the  besieged. 

For  this  great  defence  Louis  XIII  exonerated 
the  city  from  all  future  taxes,  and  the  grand 
cross  of  the  Legion  d'Honneur  was  allowed  to 
be  incorporated  into  the  city  arms,  as  indeed 
it  endures  unto  to-day.  The  tracings  of  the 
former  fortifications  are  plainly  marked, 
though  the  walls  themselves  have  disappeared. 

Dole  is  commonly  thought  of  as  but  a  great 
railway  junction.  Besangon  and  Montbeliard 
are  the  real  objectives  of  this  itinerary  through 
the  Franche  Comte  and  the  half-way  houses  are 
apt  to  be  neglected.  For  fear  of  this  we 
"  stopped  over  "  at  Dole. 

Dole's  historic  souvenirs  are  many  and  have 
in  more  than  one  instance  left  behind  their 


The  Tranche  Comte  191 

stories  writ  large  in  stoue.  The  present  Hotel 
de  Ville  was  the  old  Palais  du  Parlement,  built 
in  the  sixteenth  century,  from  the  designs  of 
Boyvin,  who  was  himself  President  of  the 
Chambre  at  the  time.  Within  the  courtyard  of 
this  old  Parliament  House  is  an  impressive  don- 
jon of  a  century  earlier,  the  Tour  de  Vergy, 
which  offers  as  choice  a  lot  of  underground 
cells,  or  oubliettes,  as  one  may  see  outside  the 
Chateau  d'lf  or  the  Castle  of  Loches.  The 
Palais  de  Justice  at  Dole,  with  a  magnificently 
carved  portal,  was  formerly  the  Couvent  des 
Cordeliers  and  dates  from  1572. 

The  memory  of  Besangon  in  the  minds  of 
most  folk  —  provided  they  have  any  memory  of 
it  at  all  —  will  be  recalled  by  the  opening  lines 
of  Stendhal's  "  Eouge  et  Noir."  ''  Besangon 
n'est  pas  seulement  une  des  plus  jolies  villes  de 
France,  elle  ahonde  en  gens  de  coeur  et  d' es- 
prit.'' 

The  flowing  Doubs  nearly  surrounds  the 
**  Roc  "  of  Besangon  with  a  great  horse-shoe 
loop  which  gives  a  natural  isolation  and  makes 
its  citadel  more  nearly  redoubtable  than  was 
ever  imagined  by  Vauban,  its  builder. 

From  an  artistic  point  of  view  Besan§on's 
monuments  are  not  many  or  varied  if  one  ex- 
cepts the  Palais  Granvelle  and  the  military  de- 


192  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

fences,  which  are  made  up  in  part  of  a  number 
of  mediaeval  towers  and  Vauban's  citadel. 
There  are  four  great  sentinel  towers  surround- 
ing the  city,  all  dating  from  the  period  of 
Charles  Quint,  but  the  city  gates,  piercing  the 
fortification  walls,  were  built  also  by  Vauban 
between  1668-1711,  and  are  by  no  means  as 
ancient  as  they  look. 

The  Palais  Granvelle,  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, has  a  fine  dignified  monumental  aspect 
wholly  impressive  regardless  of  its  lack  of 
magnitude  and  the  absence  of  a  strict  regard 
for  the  architectural  orders.  Liberties  have 
been  taken  here  and  there  with  its  outlines 
which  place  it  beyond  the  pale  of  a  thoroughly 
consistent  structure,  but  for  all  that  it  undeni- 
ably pleases  the  eye,  and  more.  And  what  else 
has  one  a  right  to  demand  unless  he  is  a 
pedant!  In  general  the  civic  and  domestic 
architecture  of  the  Franche  Comte  are  of  a 
sobriety  which  gives  them  a  distinction  all  their 
own;  the  opposite  is  true  of  the  churches,  tak- 
ing that  at  Pont-a-Mousson  as  a  concrete  ex- 
ample. 

The  street  facade  of  the  Palais  Granvelle  is 
undeniably  fine,  with  a  dignity  born  of  simplic- 
ity. Its  interior  facade,  that  giving  on  the 
courtyard,  is  freer  in  treatment,  but  still  not 


Palais   Granvelle,    Besancon 


The  Tranche  Comte  193 

violent,  and  its  colonnaded  cloister  forms  a 
quiet  retreat  in  strong  contrast  with  the  bustle 
and  noise  which  push  by  the  portal  scarce 
twenty  feet  away. 

The  Palais  Granvelle  actually  serves  to-day 
the  purpose  of  headquarters  of  BesauQon's 
Societe  Savante. 

Nicolas  Perrenot,  Seigneur  de  Granvelle,  its 
builder  (1533-1540)  was  the  chancellor  of 
Charles  Quint,  and  brother  of  the  Cardinal  de 
Granvelle,  minister  of  Charles  Quint  and  Phi- 
lippe II.  He  was  descended  from  a  noble  Bur- 
gundian  family,  not  from  a  blacksmith  as  has 
faultily  been  given  by  more  than  one  historian. 

Charles  Quint,  in  writing  to  his  son,  after  the 
death  of  his  chancellor  — ' '  in  his  palace  at 
Besangon,"  said:  ''  My  son,  I  am  extremely 
touched  by  the  death  of  Granvelle.  In  him  you 
and  I  have  lost  a  firm  staff  upon  which  to  lean." 

The  centre  of  the  admirable  town  house  of 
the  sixteenth  century  is  occupied  by  a  vast 
courtyard  surrounded  by  a  series  of  Doric  col- 
umns in  marble,  supporting  a  range  of  low  ar- 
cades. The  principal  fagade  is  built  of  "  mar- 
bre  du  pays,"  which  is  not  marble  or  anything 
like  it,  but  a  very  suitable  stone  for  building 
nevertheless.  It  might  be  called  ''  near-mar- 
ble "  by   an  enterprising  modern  contractor, 


194  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

and  a  fortune  made  off  it  by  skilful  advertising. 
It  is  better,  at  any  rate,  than  armoured  cement. 

The  structure  rises  but  two  stories  above  the 
rez-de-cliaussee,  but  is  topped  off  with  an  ''  at- 
tique  "  (a  word  we  all  recognize  even  though 
it  be  French)  and  three  great  stone  lucarnes. 
ornamented  with  light  open-work  consoles  a 
jour. 

Each  story  is  decorated  at  equal  intervals  by 
a  superimposed  series  of  columns.  The  first  is 
Doric,  the  second  Ionic  and  the  third  Corin- 
thian, and  each  divides  its  particular  story  into 
five  travees. 

The  entrance  portal  is  particularly  to  be  re- 
marked for  its  elegance.  It  is  flanked  on  either 
side  by  a  Corinthian  column  and  is  surmounted 
by  a  pair  of  angel  heads  in  bronze. 

Drawing  closer  and  closer  to  the  frontier,  the 
face  of  everything  growing  more  and  more  war- 
like the  while,  one  comes  to  Montbeliard,  prac- 
tically a  militant  outpost  of  modern  France, 
though  actually  its  importance  in  this  respect 
is  overshadowed  by  neighbouring  Belfort.  At 
Belfort  Bartholdi's  famous  lion — a  better 
stone  lion  by  the  way  than  Thorwaldsen's  at 
Luzerne  —  crouches  in  his  carven  cradle  in 
the  hillside  ready  to  spring  at  the  first  rumours 
of  war.    If  France  is  ever  invaded  again  it  will 


The  Franche  Comte 


195 


not  be  by  way  of  the  gateway  which  is  defended 
by  Belfort  and  Montbeliard,  that  is  certain! 

Montbeliard  is  a  little  fragment  of  Germany 
that  has  become  French.  Rudely  grouped 
around  the  walls  of  the  old  chateau  of  the  Wur- 
temburgs,  the  town  remains  to-day  an  anomaly 
in  France,  more  so  than  the  gi'eater  Strass- 


bourg  and  Metz  are  to  Germany,  because  they 
have  become  thoroughly  Germanized  since  "  la 
guerre  "  and  the  "  annexation,"  which  are  the 
half  whispered  words  in  which  the  natives  still 
discuss  the  late  unpleasantness. 

How  did  this  little  German  stronghold  be- 
come French?  One  may  learn  the  story  from 
**  Le  Marechal  de  Luxembourg  et  Le  Prince 
d'Orange,"  by  Pierre  de  Segur,  better   even 


196  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

than  he  may  from  the  history  books.  The  tale 
is  too  long  to  retell  here  but  it  is  undeniably 
thrilling  and  good  reading.  The  town,  the  cha- 
teau and  the  local  duke  were,  it  seems,  all  cap- 
tured at  one  fell  swoop.  There  was  no  defence, 
so  it  was  not  a  very  glorious  \T.ctory,  but  it  came 
to  pass  as  a  heroic  episode  and  a  Wurtemburg 
castle  thus  came  to  be  a  French  chateau. 

The  Chateau  de  Montbeliard  has  all  the 
marks  of  a  heavy  German  castle.  It  has  little 
indeed  of  the  suggestion  of  the  French  manner 
of  building  in  these  parts  or  elsewhere.  To- 
day it  serves  as  a  barracks  for  French  soldiers, 
but  its  alien  origin  is  manifest  by  its  cut  and 
trim. 

The  history  of  Montbeliard  has  been  most 
curious.  Its  name  was  derived  from  the  Latin 
Mons  Peligardi  (in  German  Munpelgard)  and 
the  principality,  as  it  once  was,  had  a  council  of 
nine  maitres -bourgeois,  as  the  city  councilmen 
were  called.  The  principality  comprised  the 
seigneuries  of  Hericourt.  Blamont,  Cliatelet  and 
Clemont.  For  a  time  it  was  a  part  of  the  Duchy 
of  Lorraine,  then  it  passed  to  the  house  of 
Montfaucon,  and  then  to  the  Wurtemburgs, 
who  built  the  castle.  The  Treaties  of  Luneville 
and  Paris  made  it  possible  for  the  tricolor  to  fly 
above  the  castle  walls,  otherwise  it  might  have 


The  Franche  Comte  197 

remained  a  German  town  with  a  burgomaster 
instead  of  a  French  ville  with  a  maire. 

The  Tour  Neuve  of  the  chateau  dates  from 
1594  and  the  Tour  Bossue  from  1425.  The  main 
fabric  was  restored  in  such  a  manner  that  it 
would  seem  to  have  been  practically  remodelled, 
if  not  actually  rebuilt,  in  1751.  It  preserves 
nevertheless  the  cachet  that  one  expects  to  see 
in  a  castle  of  its  time,  albeit  that  an  alien  fla- 
vour hovers  around  it  still. 

It  is  worth  continuing  in  this  direction  a  step 
farther  to  Belfort  in  the  *'  territory,"  although 
it  is  actually  beyond  the  confines  of  Burgundy's 
"  Free  County."  Belfort  is  worth  seeing  for 
the  sake  of  its  "  Lion,"  though  if  one  is  pressed 
for  time  he  may  take  a  ride  in  Paris  over  to 
the  Rive  Gauche  and  see  the  same  thing  in 
the  Place  de  Belfort,  or  at  least  a  miniature 
replica  of  it. 

In  the  midst  of  the  great  entrenched  camp  of 
Belfort  rises  "  La  Chateau,"  as  Belfort 's  cita- 
del is  known.  It  sets  broad  on  its  base  nearly 
five  hundred  metres  above  sea-level.  The  cha- 
teau and  the  *'  Roc  "  were  first  fortified  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  since  which  time  each  year 
has  added  to  the  strength  of  the  defences  until 
to-day  it  is  perhaps  the  most  strongly  fortified 
of  all  the  frontier  posts  of  France. 


198  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

It  is  at  the  base  of  the  massive  ' '  Eoc  ' '  which 
bears  aloft  the  chateau  that  is  sculptured  Bar- 
tholdi's  celebrated  lion.  Its  proportions  are 
immense,  at  least  seventy-five  feet  in  length  and 
perhaps  forty  in  height. 

The  ancient  Tour  de  la  Miotte  is  all  that  re- 
mains of  a  fortress  of  the  middle  ages,  so  Bel- 
fort's  claims  rest  on  something  more  than  its 
artistic  monumental  remains,  though  the  sil- 
houette and  sky-line  of  the  grouping  of  its  cha- 
teau and  citadel  are  imposingly  effective  and 
undeniably  artistic. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

ON"  THE  SWISS  BOEDER:     BUGEY  AND  BRESSE 

*'  La  Bresse,  le  Bugey,  le  Val-Eomey  et  la 
Principaute  de  Dombes  "  was  the  high-sounding 
way  in  which  that  hinterland  between  Burgundy 
and  Savoy  was  known  in  old  monarchial  days. 
Of  a  common  destiny  with  the  two  dukedoms,  it 
was  allied  first  with  one  and  then  with  the 
other  until  the  principality  was  nothing  more 
than  a  name;  independence  was  a  myth,  and 
allegiance,  and  perhaps  something  more,  was 
demanded  by  the  rulers  of  the  neighbouring 
states. 

In  Roman  times  these  four  provinces  were  al- 
lied with  the  I-Lyonnais,  but  by  the  Burgundian 
conquerors  forcibly  became  allied  with  the 
stronger  power. 

Bresse  of  itself  belonged  to  the  Sires  de 
Bage  and  in  1272  became  a  countship  allied 
with  the  house  of  Savoy,  which  in  1601  ceded  it 
to  the  king  of  France. 

Local  diction  perpetuates  the  following  qua- 

199 


200  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

train    which    well    explains    the    relations    of 
Bresse  with  the  surrounding  provinces. 

" Pont-de-Veyle  et  Pont-de-Vaux, 
Sair^t  Trivier  at  Romeno 
Sont  quat'  villes  Men  renommo  ; 
Alias  viv'  Macon  pour  beir 
Et  Bourg  pour  mangi." 

Bresse,  more  than  any  other  of  the  subdivi- 
sions of  mediaeval  and  modern  France,  is  en- 
dowed with  renown  for  the  sobriety  and  purity 
of  the  life  of  its  people;  and  family  ties  are 
''  respectable  and  respected,"  as  the  saying 
goes.  Above  all  has  this  been  notably  true  of 
the  nobility,  who  were  ever  looked  up  to  with 
love  and  pride  by  those  of  lower  stations. 
Among  the  common  people  never  has  one  been 
found  to  willingly  ally  himself,  or  herself,  with 
another  family  who  might  have  a  blot  on  its 
escutcheon.  The  marriage  vow  and  its  usages 
are  simple  but  devout,  and  in  addition  to  the 
usual  observations  the  peasant  husband  grants, 
as  a  part  of  the  marriage  contract,  a  black 
dress  to  be  worn  at  Toussaint  and  the  Jour  des 
Mortes,  and  to  all  family  mourning  celebra- 
tions. If  a  widow  or  widower  seeks  another 
partner  the  event  is  celebrated  by  a  ball  —  for 
which  the  doubly  wedded  party  pays. 


Womoi  oj  J>n 


On  the  Swiss  Border  201 

The  village  fetes  of  Bresse,  still  continued  in 
many  an  out-of-the-way  little  town,  are  the 
usual  drinking  and  dancing  festins  of  the  comic 
opera  merry-making  variety.  They  are  simple 
and  proper  enough  exhibitions,  and  never  de- 
scend to  the  freedom  of  speech  and  manners 
that  such  exhibitions  often  do  in  the  Midi. 

None  more  than  Brillat-Savarin  has  carried 
the  fame  of  Bresse  abroad.  A  one-time  mem- 
ber of  the  Cour  de  Cassation,  he  perhaps  was 
better  known  to  the  world  at  large  as  the  father 
of  gastronomy  in  France.  His  ''  Psychologie 
de  Gout, ' '  if  nothing  else,  would  warrant  giving 
him  this  title. 

Val-Eomey  —  the  Vallis  Romana  of  the  Em- 
perors—  and  Bugey  had  for  overlords  the 
Sires  de  Thoire  et  Villars.  It,  too,  came  in  time 
to  the  Dues  de  Savoie,  by  gift  and  by  heritage, 
and  also  was  ceded  in  1601  to  Henri  IV,  by  vir- 
tue of  the  Treaty  of  Lyons. 

Dombes,  principality  in  little,  although  at 
first  a  part  of  the  kingdom  of  Burgundy,  later 
fell  by  favour  of  circumstances  to  the  Sires  of 
Beauge  and  afterwards  to  the  Sire  de  Beau- 
jeau.  Finally  it  turned  its  fortunes  into  the 
hands  of  the  Bourbons,  when  Mademoiselle  de 
Montpensier  came  to  rule  its  destinies.  She 
turned  it  over  to  Louis  XIV  as  payment  for  his 


202  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

authorization  for  her  marriage  with  Monsieur 
de  Lauzun. 

The  princess  made  this  sacrifice  of  love  in 
vain,  and  Dombes  fell  to  the  Due  de  Maine, 
while  Lauzun  languished  in  the  prison  Pigne- 
rolo,  for  the  king  did  not  abide  by  his  back- 
handed favouritism. 

On  the  border  between  the  mediaeval  dukedom 
and  the  principality  of  Dombes,  to-day  the  De- 
partements  of  the  Saone  et  Loire  and  the  Ain, 
is  a  race  apart  from  other  mankind  hereabouts. 
In  numerous  little  villages,  notably  at  Boz  and 
Huchisi,  one  may  still  observe  the  dark  Saracen 
features  of  the  ancients  mingled  with  those  of 
to-day.  A  monograph  has  recently  appeared 
which  defines  these  peoples  as  something  quite 
unlike  the  other  varied  races  now  welded  into 
the  citizens  of  twentieth  century  France. 

Modern  vogue,  style,  fashion,  or  whatever 
you  may  choose  to  call  it,  is  everywhere  fast 
changing  the  old  picturesque  costume  into 
something  of  the  ready-made,  big-store  order, 
but  to  stroll  about  the  highways  and  byways  in 
these  parts  and  see  men  in  baggy  Turkish  trou- 
sers with  their  coats  and  waistcoats  tied  to- 
gether by  strings  or  ribbons  in  place  of  conven- 
tional buttons,  is  as  a  whiff  of  the  Ofient,  or  at 
least  a  reminder  of  the  long  ago. 


On  the  Swiss  Border  203 

The  women  dress  in  a  distinct,  but  perhaps 
not  otherwise  veiy  remarkable,  manner,  save 
that  an  occasional  "  Turk's-Head  "  turban  is 
seen,  quite  as  Oriental  as  the  culotte  of  the  men. 
A  blend  of  Spain,  of  Arabia,  of  Persia  and  of 
Turkey  could  not  present  a  costume  more  droll 
than  that  of  the  ''  Chizerots/'  as  these  people 
are  known. 

Another  petit  pays,  and  one  of  the  most  re- 
markably disposed,  politically,  of  all  the  old 
provinces  which  go  to  make  up  modern  France, 
is  what  is  known  even  to-day  as  the  Pays  de 
Gex.  It  belonged  successively  to  the  house  of 
Joinville,  to  the  Comte  de  Savoie  and  to  the 
States  of  Berne  and  Geneva.  The  Due  de  Sa- 
voie, by  the  treaty  of  1601,  ceded  it  to  France, 
but  a  strip  is  still  neutral  ground  for  both 
Switzerland  and  France,  which  by  common  ac- 
cord allows  Geneva  full  access  to  the  territory 
in  order  to  establish  its  communications  with 
Swiss  territory  on  the  west  and  south  shores  of 
Lac  Leman,  particularly  to  that  region  beyond 
Saint-Gingolphe. 

The  name  Gex  is  evolved  from  the  Latin 
Gesium.  the  capital  of  a  kingdom  owning  but 
a  length  of  six  leagues  and  a  width  of  about 
half  as  much.  The  Bernese  and  the  Genevois 
conquered  it  in  turn,  and  to-day  its  personality 


204  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

is  nil  except  that  one  recalls  it  as  the  head  cen- 
tre for  the  trade  in  Gruyere  cheese,  the  kind 
which  we  commonly  call  Swiss  cheese.  It  is 
in  the  Pays  de  Gex,  on  the  railway  line  from 
Gex  to  Geneva,  that  one  notes  the  name  of  Fer- 
nay  and  endeavours  to  recall  for  just  what  it 
stands.  At  last  it  comes  to  one.  Fernay  pos- 
sesses a  literary  shrine  of  note  that  all  who 
pass  this  way  may  well  remember.  The  wonder 
is  that  one  did  riot  recall  it  with  less  effort. 

The  whole  town  is  virtually  a  monument  to 
Voltaire.  It  was  he  who  built  the  town,  prac- 
tically; that  is,  he  furnished  the  land  and  the 
means  to  erect  many  of  the  meaner  houses 
which  surround  the  chateau  which  he  came  him- 
self to  inhabit,  and  from  which,  for  a  time,  the 
rays  of  his  brilliant  wit  were  shed  over  the 
whole  literary  world  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

After  his  flight  from  Berlin,  Voltaire,  the 
Seigneur  de  Fernay,  founded  Fernay,  within 
six  kilometres  of  the  frontier  and  Geneva,  and 
sought  to  attract  Swiss  watch-makers  thither 
that  a  similar  industry  might  there  be  estab- 
lished on  French  soil.  Surely  Voltaire  was 
more  of  a  benefactor  of  his  race  than  he  is 
usually  considered. 

The  Voltaire  manor,  or  chateau,  albeit  that  it 
is  nothing  grandly  monumental,  still  exists  with 


^•#ivl 


?N 


o 


On  the  Swiss  Border  205 

furniture  and  portraits  of  the  time  of  the  satir- 
ist. At  the  entrance  to  the  chateau  is  a  tiny 
chapel,  built  also  by  Voltaire  when  he  was  in 
that  particular  mood.  Over  its  portal  it  bears 
the  following  words,  "  Deo  Erexit  Voltaire 
MDCCLXI."  Arsene  Houssaye  called  the 
words  an  impertinence,  and,  admitting  Vol- 
taire's genius,  one  is  inclined  to  assent  to  the 
dictum.  "  My  church,"  said  Voltaire,  "  is 
erected  to  God,  the  only  one  throughout  Chris- 
tendom; there  are  thousands  to  Saint  Jean,  to 
Saint  Paul  and  to  all  the  rest  of  the  calendar, 
but  not  another  in  all  the  world  to  God." 

Such  a  romantically  storied  region  as  this 
might  naturally  be  expected  to  abound  in  his- 
toric souvenirs  and  monuments  almost  without 
end.  To  an  extent  this  is  true,  but  such  sou- 
venirs and  recollections  of  the  past  more  fre- 
quently present  themselves  than  do  actual  cas- 
tle walls,  be  they  ruined  or  well-preserved. 

The  antique  lore  of  ancient  Bresse  goes  back 
to  Druidical  days.  Stone  axes,  Celtic  tombs  and 
medals,  skeletons  wearing  bracelets  and  anklets 
of  iron  and  copper  have  been  found  in  great 
numbers,  and  from  these  have  been  built  up  a 
vague  history  of  the  earliest  times. 

Of  Roman  remains  there  are  still  evident 
many  outlines  of  the  camps  of  the  legionaries, 


206  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

innuinerable  evidences  and  tracings  of  old 
Roman  highroads,  with  here  and  there  frag- 
ments of  aqueducts,  baths  and  temples.  Near 
Bourg  have  been  discovered  various  medals  of 
the  ancient  colony  of  Massilia,  on  the  shores  of 
the  Mediterranean,  and  one  wonders  what  were 
the  relations  of  the  Ostragoth  peoples  of  Bresse 
with  the  Phoceans  of  Marseilles.  History  is 
non-committal. 

There  are  no  magnificent  monumental  re- 
mains of  Roman  times  left  in  these  parts  save 
occasional  fragments  and  towers  which  presum- 
ably served  for  signalling  jourposes  as  a  part 
of  the  fortifications  of  the  Saracens.  For  any 
architectural  monuments  of  note  one  can  not 
with  certainty  go  back  to  a  period  earlier  than 
that  in  which  the  Burgundian  power  was  at  its 
height,  or  to  the  time  of  Charles-le-Chauve  in 
the  ninth  century. 

The  feudal  memories  of  Bresse  are  chiefly  the 
ruins  of  the  seigneurial  chateau  at  Chateauneuf, 
the  chief -town  of  the  Val-Romey.  Built  high 
on  the  summit  of  a  peak  of  rock  and  surrounded 
by  deep-cut  fosses,  and  walls  which  drop  down 
sheer  like  the  sides  of  a  precipice,  this  chief 
feudal  residence  of  the  Val-Romey  was  more  a 
fortress  than  a  delectable  domestic  establish- 
ment, though  it  served  the  functions  of  both,  as 


On  the  Swiss  Border  207 

was  frequently  the  case  with  the  feudal  edifice 
of  its  class.  T\Tiat  it  lacked  in  actual  luxury  or 
comfort  it  made  up  for  in  the  added  protection 
offered  by  its  sturdy  walls.  This  was  notably 
true  of  all  seigneurial  residences  which  occupied 
isolated  positions  in  the  feudal  epoch.  Its  walls 
to-day,  shorn  of  any  esthetic  beauty  which  they 
may  once  have  possessed,  and  crumbling  and 
moss-grown  on  every  side,  still  rise  a  hundred 
or  more  feet  in  air  above  their  rocky  founda- 
tions, and  in  many  places  have  a  thickness  of  a 
dozen  or  fifteen  feet.  They  built  well  in  those 
old  days,  before  the  era  of  armoured  cement 
covered  with  stucco.  Modern  builders  make 
great  claims  for  their  product,  but  will  it  last? 
No  man  knows,  and,  from  the  fact  that  masonry 
cannot  be  built  even  to-day  so  as  to  stand  up 
against  shot  and  shell,  one  doubts  if  modern 
work  is  really  as  durable  as  that  of  a  thousand 
years  ago.  The  military  architecture  of  feudal 
France,  so  often  closely  allied  with  that  of  the 
civic  and  domestic  varieties,  was  preeminent  in 
its  time. 

The  religious  architecture,  the  monasteries 
and  churches,  of  these  parts  have  certainly 
more  ornate  reminders  of  the  undeniable  opu- 
lence of  the  region  than  the  secular  examples 
still  existing. 


208  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Connecting  Bresse  and  tlie  Franche  Comte  is 
a  curious  little  battery  of  townlets  that  have 
never  been  mentioned  in  the  guide-books,  nor 
ever  will  be.  A  motor  flight  from  Bourg-en- 
Bresse  to  Besangon  evolved  the  following :  First 
came  a  smug  little  town  named  briefly  Pierre. 
It  possesses  a  chateau,  too,  reckoned  as  one  of 
the  really  remarkable  examples  of  the  style  of 
Burgundian  building.  It  certainly  looks  all  that 
is  claimed  for  it,  though  we  saw  it  only  in  the 
dim  twilight  of  a  May  evening.  The  impression 
was  all-satisfying,  and,  that  being  what  one 
really  travels  for,  one  should  be  content. 

For  a  neighbour  there  was  Champdivers, 
which  recalled  a  memory  of  Odette  de  Champ- 
divers,  the  one  time  companion  of  the  poor 
Charles  VI.  during  his  latter  unhappy  days. 
Truly  this  was  proving  for  us  a  most  romantic 
region,  a  region  utterly  neglected  by  the  great 
world  of  tourists  who  pick  out  the  big-type 
names  on  the  map  and  make  up  their  itineraries 
accordingly. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Doubs,  near  the  border 
of  Bresse  and  the  Comte,  lies  Molay,  whose  sei- 
gneur, Jacques  de  Molay,  the  Grand  Master  of 
the  Templars,  died  at  the  stake  in  Paris  during 
the  playing  of  the  great  drama  of  1314. 

After  Molay  a  succession  of  dwellings  con- 


On  the  Swiss  Border  209 

tinues  to  the  important  frontier  town  and  for- 
tress of  Dole,  a  decayed  county-town  whose  of- 
ficial importance,  even,  has  been  absorbed  by 
the  fortified  city  and  watch-making  metropolis 
of  BesanQon.  Dole  will  never  be  reckoned  a  city 
of  celebrated  art,  but  regardless  of  this  its  fine 
old  Renaissance  houses  and  Parliamentary 
Palace  of  other  days  all  follow  the  architectural 
scheme  which  makes  the  civic  and  secular  edi- 
fices of  mid-France  the  most  luxurious  of  their 
epoch. 

Bourg,  the  capital  of  Bresse,  has  ever  been 
one  of  the  most  important  towns  of  France  ly- 
ing near  the  eastern  frontier,  though  indeed  as 
a  fortified  place  the  modern  French  military 
authorities  give  it  scant  value  from  a  strategic 
point  of  view.  Six  great  national  highways 
cross  and  recross  the  city,  and  many  of  the  nar- 
row streets  of  the  days  of  the  dukes  have  lately 
given  way  to  avenues  and  boulevards.  From 
this  one  puts  Bourg  down  as  something  very 
modem  —  which  it  is,  in  parts. 

Built  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Forum  Sebu- 
sianorum,  the  city  came  in  time  under  the  sway 
of  Burgundy,  of  the  Empire  of  the  States  of 
Savoy,  and  finally  definitely  allied  itself  with 
France  in  1601. 

Bourg  is  in  the  heart  of  Bresse.    Its  inhab- 


210  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

itants  are  known  as  Bressans  de  Bresse,  in  con- 
tradistinction to  those  who  live  on  the  borders 
of  the  old  province.  "  Viv  Macon  pour  heir  et 
Bourg  pour  mangi  "  —  Macon  for  drinkmg  and 
Bourg  for  eating  —  say  the  Bressans  of 
Bresse,  and  with  good  reason. 

The  Bressan  costume  is  most  peculiar,  at 
least  so  far  as  that  of  the  women  is  concerned ; 
the  men  might  be  of  Normandy  or  Poiton. 
Only  on  a  fete  day  will  one  see  the  real  costume 
of  the  women  of  Bresse,  but  on  such  occasions 
the  mere  sight  of  the  triple-decked,  steeple-like 
coiffe  —  a  good  replica  of  an  ornamental  foun- 
tain in  miniature  —  will  suggest  nothing  so 
much  as  the  costume  of  a  masquerade. 

The  only  palatial  domestic  or  civic  edifice 
notable  in  Bourg  to-day  is  the  Parliament  Build- 
ing of  the  ancient  ]£tats  de  la  Bresse.  Of  the 
many  princely  dwellings  of  the  time  of  the 
Seigneurs  de  Bage,  and  of  the  Savoyan  princes 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  not  a  fragment  re- 
mains, though  the  records  tell  of  a  splendid 
chateau-fort  and  an  episcopal  residence  of  like 
luxurious  proportions  which  existed  at  the  time 
of  the  union  of  Bresse  with  France.  This 
may  be  the  edifice  of  the  Etats  which  now  shel- 
ters the  Musee  Lorin.  The  longbeards  disagree 
as  to  this,  but  the  casual  observer  will  be  quite 


On  the  Swiss  Border  211 

willing  to  accept  tlie  suggestion.  The  monu- 
ment is  certainly  a  splendid  one,  even  if  its  his- 
tory is  vague. 

The  famous  Eglise  de  Brou  at  Bourg  is  in- 
timately bound  with  the  life  of  the  nobles  of 
mediaeval  times,  as  closely  indeed  as  if  it  had 
been  a  secular  establishment  where  lived  lords 
and  ladies  and  their  courts.  A  description  of 
this  classic  wonder  of  architectural  art  can  have 
no  extended  place  here.  It  must  suffice  to  recall 
that  it  was  erected  by  Philibert  le  Beau  in  com- 
pletion of  a  vow  made  by  his  mother  Margue- 
rite de  Bourbon.  Within  are  the  magnificently 
sculptured  tombs  of  the  two  royalties  and 
another  of  Marguerite  d'Autriche.  The  sculp- 
ture of  these  famous  tombs  has  been  the  sub- 
ject of  more  than  one  monograph,  and  indeed 
the  whole  ornate  structure  —  church,  tombs  and 
sculpture  —  is  a  never-ceasing  source  of  sup- 
ply to  critics  and  archaeologists. 

The  Italian  style,  in  the  most  gracious  of  its 
flowering  forms,  is  here  united  with  the  flam- 
boyant Flemish  school  in  a  profligate  profusion. 
The  figlise  de  Brou  is  one  of  the  greatest  mar- 
vels of  Eenaissance  architecture  in  all  the 
world. 

North  of  Bourg,  on  the  road  to  Louhans, 
through  the  heart  of  the  Bresse  so  dear  to  gas- 


212  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

tronomes,  are  the  well  conserved  remains  of  the 
Chateau  de  Monteony,  and  those  of  more  ruin- 
ous aspect  which  represent  the  departed  glories 
of  Duretal. 

Cuiseaux'  monumental  remains  are  even 
more  scant,  and  the  town  itself  hardly  resem- 
bles a  town  of  Burgundy.  It  is  more  like  a 
place  in  Switzerland  or  the  Jura ;  indeed,  to  the 
latter  region  it  once  belonged,  and  only  came  to 
be  Burgundian  when  the  princes  of  the  house, 
through  some  petty  quarrel,  took  it  for  their 
own  by  force,  as  was  the  way  in  those  gallant, 
profligate  days. 

Cuiseaux  does  possess,  however,  a  ruined 
aspect  of  wall  and  rampart  which  suggests  that 
it  must  have  been  one  of  the  most  admirably 
defended  places  of  the  neighbourhood,  judging 
from  an  old  fifteenth  century  plan  preserved  in 
the  Bibliotheque  Nationale.  Then  it  was  proud 
of  its  ramparts  which  possessed  thirty-six  pro- 
tecting towers.  To-day  but  two  of  these  senti- 
nels remain,  and  it  were  vainglorious  to  claim 
too  much  for  them,  particularly  since  the  mod- 
ern plan  of  the  town  makes  it  look  as  conven- 
tionally dull  and  uninteresting  as  an  Arab 
gliourhi  in  the  Atlas,  or  an  adobe  village  in 
Arizona. 
At  Pont-de-Vaux,  between  Bourg  and  Lou- 


On  the  Swiss  Border  213 

hans,  one  comes  to  a  trim  little  town,  an  out- 
growth of  the  ancient  village  of  Vaux,  belong- 
ing at  one  time  to  the  Sires  de  Bauge,  and  later 
to  the  Due  de  Savoie,  Charles  III,  who  made  it 
a  Comte  in  1623.  It  afterwards  grew  to  the 
dignity  of  a  Duche,  so  made  by  Louis  XIII. 
Much  is  preserved  to-day  of  the  ancient  manner 
of  building,  and,  all  in  all,  it  is  quite  as  satisfac- 
tory an  example  of  a  mediaeval  town  as  has  been 
left  untouched  by  the  mature  hand  of  progress 
of  these  late  days. 

Nantua  is  known  to  the  traveller  in  modern 
France  only  as  another  of  those  lakeside  re- 
sorts which  are  such  delightful  places  of  so- 
journ for  those  who  would  avoid  for  a  time  the 
strife  of  great  cities.  It  is  a  gem  of  a  town,  set 
in  a  diadem  of  beauty  which  surrounds  the  tiny 
lake  of  the  same  name,  but  it  has  no  historic 
monuments,  if  we  except  the  tomb  of  Charles  le 
Chauve  in  the  church.  This  at  least  entitles  it 
to  a  passing  comment  here,  this  and  the  memory 
of  a  happy  afternoon  we  passed  by  the  crystal 
waters  of  this  brilliant  lake. 

Midway  between  Bourg  and  Macon  is  Pont- 
de-Veyle.  This  old  feudal  town  was  once  the 
particular  possession  of  a  brilliant  line  of  sei- 
gneurs of  France  and  Savoy,  the  last,  under 
FranQois  I,  being  the  Comte  de  Furstemburg, 


214  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

who  acquired  it  as  a  pa^Tnent  for  certain  levies 
of  Germans  that  he  had  furnished  the  French 
monarch. 

The  ancient  manor  of  the  Furstemburgs  still 
exists,  but  it  is  hardly  of  a  proportion  or  archi- 
tectural merit  to  have  distinction.  Here,  too, 
are  the  reconstructed  remains  of  the  eighteenth 
century  of  a  family  chateau  of  the  Marechal  de 
Lesdiguieres,  whose  fortunes  were  more  inti- 
mately bound  up  with  Gap  and  Vizille  than  with 
this  less  accessible  property.  Like  Vizille  it 
has  been  ' '  put  into  condition  ' '  in  recent  years, 
and,  while  lacking  the  mossy,  romantic  air  of 
mediaevalism,  fulfils  most  of  the  demands  of  the 
worshipper  at  historic  shrines. 

There  is  still  standing  here  an  old  city  gate 
dating  from  the  thirteenth  century,  and  this  in 
turn  is  surmounted  by  a  belfry  of  the  sixteenth. 
The  ensemble  suggests  that  it  was  once  a  part 
of  a  more  noble  fortress-chateau.  The  Maison 
des  Savoyards  was  probably  a  princely  rest- 
house  when  the  nobles  of  its  era  passed  this 
way.  Beyond  its  name,  and  the  elaborate  deco- 
rations of  its  facade,  there  is  nothing  else  to 
support  the  conjecture.  Its  history,  whatever 
it  may  have  been,  is  lost  in  the  confusion  with 
which  many  ancient  records  are  covered  to-day. 

Turning   southwest   on   the  highroad,   from 


On  the  Swiss  Border  215 

Burgundy  into  Savoy  through  the  heart  of 
Dombes,  one  soon  reaches  Chatillon-les-Dombes. 
As  its  name  indicates,  it  is  a  descendant  of  the 
town  "u-hich  grew  up  around  an  ancient  sei- 
gneurial  residence  here  of  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury. Chiefly  this  is  memory  only,  for  the  frag- 
mentary debris  takes  on  no  distinction  to-day 
beyond  that  of  any  other  indiscriminate  pile  of 
stones  and  mortar. 

Montluel,  near-by,  is  in  much  the  same  cate- 
gory. It  is  famous  only  for  the  fact  that  it  was 
here  that  Ame  VII  was  presented  the  Duche  de 
Savoie  by  Sigismond  in  1496,  and  that  in 
troublous,  mediaeval  days  it  was  the  safe  haven 
for  many  political  refugees  from  Geneva  and 
Florence.  Montluel,  in  Latin  Mons  Lupelli,  was 
the  capital  of  the  fief  of  Valbonne.  The  re- 
mains existing  to-day,  and  locally  called  ''  le 
chateau,"  are  those  of  an  edifice  which  had  an 
existence  and  a  career  of  sorts  in  the  eleventh 
century,  but  which  since  that  date  has  no  re- 
corded history. 

To  Pont  d'Ain  and  Belley  is  still  on  the  di- 
rect road  to  Savoy.  On  the  great  '^  route  in- 
terna tionale  "  from  Paris  to  Turin  sits  the 
ancient  chateau  of  Pont  d'Ain,  which  owes  its 
name  to  the  old  bridge  which  once  spanned  the 
A  in  at  this  point. 


216  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

On  an  eminence  high  above  the  river  is  the 
old  chateau  built  by  the  Sires  de  Coligny  in 
1590,  the  ancestors  of  the  great  admirah  Pre- 
viously it  had  been  the  residence  of  the  rulers 
of  Savoy,  and  to  this  luxurious  dwelling  the 
princesses  of  the  house  invariably  came  to  give 
birth  to  the  inheritors  to  the  throne.  Louise  de 
Savoie,  the  mother  of  Frangois  Premier,  was 
born  here  in  1476,  and  here  died  Philibert  II, 
Due  de  Savoie,  in  1504,  he  whose  death  gave 
impetus  to  the  erection  of  that  magnificent  mau- 
soleum, the  Eglise  de  Brou. 

Belley,  a  matter  of  fifty  kilometres  further 
on,  is  a  veritable  gateway  through  which  passed 
the  ancient  Eoute  de  Savoie  along  which  trotted 
the  palfreys  and  rolled  the  coaches  of  Eenais- 
sance  days. 

Lacking  entirely  mediaeval  monuments  of 
note,  Belley  ranks,  judging  from  positive  docu- 
mentary evidence,  as  one  of  the  most  ancient 
towns  of  the  border  province  lying  between 
Burgundy  and  Savoy.  Its  episcopate  dates 
from  the  year  412  a.  d.,  and,  if  its  feudal  monu- 
ments have  disappeared,  its  great  episcopal  pal- 
ace of  later  centuries  is  certainly  entitled  to  be 
considered  an  example  of  domestic  architecture 
quite  as  appealing  as  many  a  feudal  chateau 
of  more  warlike  aspect. 


On  the  Swiss  Border  217 

So  strong  a  centre  of  the  church  as  Belley 
was  bound  to  be  prominent  politically,  and  its 
bishops  bore  as  well  the  title  of  Princes  of  the 
Empire. 

Herein  has  been  given  an  epitome  of  a  round 
of  travel  in  this  forgotten  and  neglected  border 
country  lying  between  old  Burgundy,  Switzer- 
land and  Savoy.  AMiat  it  lacks  in  elaborate 
examples  of  feudal  and  Renaissance  architec- 
ture it  makes  up  for  in  storied  facts  of  history, 
which  though  too  extensive  to  be  more  than 
hinted  at  here  are  as  thrilling  and  appealing 
as  any  chapter  of  the  history  of  old  France. 
For  that  reason,  and  the  fact  that  some  ac- 
quaintance with  these  tiny  border  provinces  is 
necessary  for  a  proper  appreciation  of  the  ex- 
terior relations  of  both  Burgundy  and  Savoy, 
the  detour  has  been  made. 


CHAPTER   XV 

GRENOBLE  AND  VIZILLE  :    THE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  DAU- 
PHINS 

Dauphin Y  owes  its  name  as  a  province  to  the 
rightful  name  of  the  eldest  sons  of  the  French 
kings  down  to  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. The  actual  origin  of  the  application  of 
the  name  seems  to  have  been  lost,  though  the 
Comtes  de  Vienne  bore  a  dolphin  on  their  bla- 
zon from  the  eleventh  century  to  the  fourteenth, 
when  Comte  Humbert,  the  last  Dauphin,  made 
over  his  rights  to  the  eldest  son  of  Philippe  de 
Valois,  who  acquired  the  country  in  1343,  be- 
stowing it  upon  his  offspring  as  his  patrimony. 
Thus  is  logically  explained  the  absorption  of 
the  title  and  its  relations  with  the  province, 
for  it  was  then  that  it  came  first  to  be  applied 
to  that  glorious  mountain  region  of  France  ly- 
ing between  the  high  Alpine  valleys  and  the 
shores  of  the  Mediterranean. 

The  Dauphin,  Humbert  II,  first  established 
the  Parlement  du  Dauphine  at  Saint  Marcellin 
in  1337,  but  within  three  years  it  was  trans- 

218 


Grenoble  and  Vizille 


219 


f erred  to  Grenoble,  where  it  held  rank  as  third 
among  the  provincial  parliaments  of  France. 

Saint  Laurent,  the  Grenoble  suburb,  not  the 
mountain  town  hidden  away  in  the  fastness  of 
the  mountain 
massif  of  the 
Chartreuse,  oc- 
cupies the  site 
of  an  ancient 
Gaulish  founda- 
tion called  Cu- 
laro.  Its  name 
was  later 
changed  to  Gra- 
tianopolis,  out 
of  compliment 
to  the  Emperor 
Gratian,  which 
in  time  evolved 
itself  into  Gren- 
oble, the  capital 
of  ''  the  good 
province  of  our 
most  loyal  Dauphin." 

Grenoble's  chief  architectural  treasure  is  its 
present  Palais  de  Justice,  the  ancient  buildings 
of  the  old  Parliament  of  Dauphiny  and  its 
Cour  des  Comptes.    Virtually  it  is  a  chateau  of 


iiilP' 


220  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

state  and  is,  moreover,  the  most  important 
monument  of  the  French  Renaissance  existing 
in  the  Rhone  valley.  Begun  under  Louis  XI, 
it  was  terminated  under  FrauQois  Premier, 
when,  following  upon  the  Italian  wars,  it  was 
a  place  of  sojourn  for  the  kings  of  France. 

On  entering  the  portal  at  the  right  one  comes 
directly  to  the  Chambre  du  Tribunal  of  to-day, 
its  walls  panelled  with  a  wonderful  series  of 
wood-carvings  coming  from  the  ancient  Cour 
des  Comptes,  the  work  of  a  German  sculptor, 
Paul  Jude,  in  1520. 

The  portal  to  the  left  leads  to  the  Cour 
d'Appel  —  the  Chambres  des  Audiences  Solen- 
nelles  —  whose  ceiling  was  designed  in  1660  by 
Jean  Lepautre,  a  great  decorative  artist  of  the 
court  of  Louis  XIV,  and  carved  by  one  Guille- 
baud,  a  native  of  Grenoble.  The  ancient  chapel, 
or  such  of  it  as  remains,  where  the  parliament 
heard  mass,  is  reached  through  this  room.  The 
ancient  Chambre  des  Comptes  dates  from  the 
reign  of  Charles  VIII. 

The  Grande  Salle  on  the  upper  floor  is  one 
of  the  notable  works  of  its  epoch  with  respect 
to  its  decorations,  though  the  noble  glass  of  its 
numerous  windows  was  destroyed  long  years 
ago,  leaving  behind  onl}'-  a  record  of  its  magnif- 
icently   designed    armoiries    and   inscriptions. 


Grenoble  and  Vizille  221 

The  chief,  out-of-the-ordinary,  decorations  still 
to  be  observed  are  the  sculptured  fronts  of 
tliirty-eight  cupboard  doors  which  enclose  the 
provincial  archives.  From  an  artistic,  no  less 
tlian  a  utilitarian,  point  of  view,  they  are  cer- 
tainly to  be  admired,  even  preferred,  before  the 
"  elastic  "  book  cases  of  to-day. 

Much  of  the  old  Palais  des  Dauphins'  former 
magnificent  attributes  in  the  shape  of  decora- 
tive details  remain  to  charm  the  eye  and  senses 
to-day,  but  of  the  extensive  range  of  apart- 
ments of  former  times  only  a  bare  three  or  four 
suggest  by  their  groinings,  carvings  and  chim- 
ney-pieces the  splendour  with  which  the  elder 
sons  of  the  kings  of  France  were  wont  to  sur- 
round themselves. 

A  remarkably  successful  work  of  restoration 
of  the  fagade  was  accomplished  within  a  dozen 
years  on  the  model  of  the  best  of  Eenaissance 
details  in  other  parts  of  the  edifice,  until  to-day 
the  whole  presents  a  most  effective  ensemble. 

In  Grenoble's  museum  is  a  room  devoted  to 
portraits  of  the  good  and  great  of  Dauphiny. 
There  are  a  dozen  busts  in  marble  of  as  many 
Dauphins,  a  portrait  of  Marie  Vignon,  the  wife 
of  Lesdiguieres,  and  a  crayon  sketch  of  Bayard, 
which  is  the  earliest  portrait  of  the  ''  Cheva- 
lier "  extant.    In  the  figlise  Saint  Andre  is  the 


222  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

tomb  of  Bayard.  The  funeral  monument  sur- 
mounting it  was  erected  only  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  The  official  chapel  of  the  Dauphins 
has  a  great  rectangular  clocher  remaining  to 
suggest  its  former  proportions.  This  fine  tower 
is  surmounted  by  an  octagonal  upper  story  and 
is  flanked  at  each  corner  with  a  cloclieton  rising 
hardily  into  the  rarefied  atmosphere.  The  grim 
tower  braves  the  tempests  of  winter  to-day  as 
it  has  since  1230. 

Grenoble's  Hotel  des  Trois  Dauphins  is  an 
historic  monument  as  replete  with  interest  as 
many  of  more  splendour.  It  was  here  that 
Napoleon  lodged,  with  General  Bertrand,  on 
the  night  when  he  passed  through  the  city  on 
that  eventful  return  from  Elba  when  he  sought 
to  kindle  the  European  war-flame  anew. 

Grenoble's  sole  vestige  of  ancient  castle  or 
chateau  architecture,  aside  from  the  temporary 
royal  abode  of  the  French  kings  and  the  Dau- 
phins, is  a  round  tower  —  La  Grosse  Tour 
Eonde  —  now  built  into  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  the 
only  existing  relic  of  a  still  earlier  Palais  des 
Dauphins  which  in  its  time  stood  upon  the  site 
of  the  ancient  Eoman  remains  of  a  structure 
built  in  the  days  of  Diocletian. 

Grenoble's  citadel  possesses  to-day  only  a 
square  tower  with  machicoulis  to  give  it  the  dis- 


Grenoble  and  Vizille  223 

tinction  of  a  militant  spirit.  It  was  built  in 
1409,  but  to-day  lias  been  reduced  to  a  mere 
barrack's  accessory  of  not  the  slightest  military 
strength,  a  *'  colomhier  militaire,"  the  authori- 
ties themselves  cynically  call  it. 

Vauban's  ancient  ramparts  have  now  been 
turned  into  a  series  of  those  tree-planted  prom- 
enades so  common  in  France,  but  the  militant 
aspect  of  Grenoble  is  not  allowed  to  be  lost 
sight  of,  as  a  mere  glance  of  the  eye  upward  to 
the  hillsides  and  mountain  crests  roundabout 
plainly  indicates. 

Grenoble,  with  its  fort-crowned  hill  of  "La 
Bastille,"  has  been  called  the  Ehrenbreitstein 
of  the  Isere,  a  river  which  has  played  a  momen- 
tous part  in  the  history  of  Savoy  and  Dauphiny, 
but  which  is  little  known  or  recognized  by 
those  who  follow  the  main  lines  of  French 
travel. 

Mont  Rachet  forms  the  underpinning  of  "  La 
Bastille  "  and  gives  a  foothold  to  an  old  feudal 
fortress  now  built  around  by  a  more  modern 
work.  Below  is  the  juncture  of  the  Isere  and 
the  Drac,  and  the  great  plain  in  the  midst  of 
which  rests  the  proud  old  capital  of  the  Dau- 
phins. The  site  is  truly  remarkable  and  the 
strategic  importance  of  the  fortress  was  well 
enough  made  use  of  in  mediaeval  times  as  a 


224  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

feudal  stronghold.  ^Tiat  its  value  for  military 
purposes  may  actually  be  to-day  is  another 
story.  The  walls  of  the  fortress  certainly  look 
grim  enough,  but  it  is  probable  that  even  the 
puniest  of  Alpine  mountain  batteries  could  re- 
duce it  in  short  order. 

Grenoble,  as  might  be  expected  of  a  wealthy 
provincial  capital,  is  surounded  by  a  near-by 
battery  of  palatial  country  houses  which  may 
well  take  rank  as  chateaux  de  marque.  Some 
are  modem  and  some  are  remodelled  from 
more  ancient  foundations,  but  all  are  of  the 
imposing  order  which  one  associates  with  a 
mountain  retreat.  These  of  course  are  of  a 
class  quite  distinct  from  the  countless  forts, 
fortresses,  towers  and  donjons  with  which  the 
whole  countryside  is  strewn. 

Uriage,  a  near  neighbour,  is  a  popular  resort 
in  little,  in  fact,  a  ville  d'eau,  as  the  French 
aptly  name  such  places.  The  Chateau  d 'Uriage 
will  for  most  folkhave  vastly  more  sympathetic 
interest  than  the  semi-invalid  attractions  of  the 
spa  itself.  It  is  at  present  the  property  of  the 
Saint  Ferreol  family,  and  though  not  strictly 
to  be  reckoned  as  a  sight,  since  it  is  not  open 
to  the  public,  it  still  remains  one  of  the  most 
striking  residential  chateaux  of  these  parts. 
It  was  built  by  the  Seigneurs  d'Allemon  under 


G-renoble  and  Vizille  225 

the  old  regime.  Its  architecture  is  frankly  of 
the  nondescript  order,  a  melange  of  much  that 
is  good  and  some  that  is  bad,  but  all  of  it  ef- 
fective when  judged  from  a  more  or  less  dis- 
tant view-point.  "With  respect  to  its  details  it 
is  a  livid  mass  of  non-contemporary  elements 
to  which  the  purist  would  give  scant  considera- 
tion, but  the  effect,  always  the  most  desirable 
quality  after  all,  is  undeniably  satisfying. 
The  situation  heightens  this  effect,  no  doubt, 
but  what  would  you?  The  high  sloped  roof, 
in  place  of  the  mansards  one  usually  sees, 
may  be  considered  an  innovation  in  a  structure 
of  its  epoch.  It  was  so  built,  without  question, 
that  it  might  better  shed  the  snows  of  winter, 
which  here  come  early  and  stay  late. 

The  Chateau  de  Vizille,  in  a  wooded  park 
bordering  upon  the  little  industrial  suburb  of 
Grenoble  bearing  the  same  name,  is  a  most  im- 
posing pile,  and  is  fairly  reminiscent  of  its 
eighteenth  century  contemporaries  in  Touraine 
and  elsewhere  in  mid-France.  It  was  the  place 
of  meeting  of  the  £tats  Generaux  of  Dauphiny 
in  1788,  one  of  the  momentous  preambles  to  the 
French  Revolution,  a  chapter  of  the  gi-eat 
drama  which  was  vigorously  spoken  and  acted. 

It  was  on  July  21,  1788,  under  the  presidency 
of  the  Comte  de  Marges,  that  were  voted  the 


226  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

preliminary  paragraphs  of  the  famous  ' '  Decla- 
ration des  Droits  de  THomme  et  du  Citoyen." 
The  occasion  is  perpetuated  in  memory  by  a 
monument  erected  in  the  town  to  "La  Gloire 
de  I'Assemblee  de  Vizille  .  .  .  et  prepare  la 
Kevolution  Francaise." 

This  was  the  first  parliamentary  vote  against 
the  sustaining  of  aristocratic  hereditary  gov- 
ernment in  favour  of  popular  representation  — 
really  the  general  signal  for  revolution,  a  year 
before  the  convention  at  Versailles. 

The  massive  pile,  ornate  but  not  burdensome, 
with  its  mansards,  its  towers  and  terraces,  com- 
poses with  its  environment  in  a  most  agreeable 
manner. 

Known  originally  as  the  Chateau  des  Les- 
diguieres,  for  it  was  built  originally  by  that 
celebrated  Constable,  Vice-Eoi  du  Dauphine, 
the  Chateau  de  Vizille  was  formerly  the  prop- 
erty of  the  family  of  Casimir  Perier,  that 
which  gave  a  president  to  the  later  Eepublic. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century 
a  German  traveller,  Abraham  Goelnitz, 
**  greatly  admired  "  the  chateau,  and  compared 
it  to  that  of  the  Due  d'Epernon  at  Cadillac, 
which  contained  seventy  rooms.  That  of  the 
Marechal  Lesdiguieres  had  a  hundred  and 
twenty-five,  among  them  (at  that  time)  a  pic- 


Grenoble  and  Vizille  227 

ture  gallery,  an  arsenal  with  six  hundred  suits 
of  armour,  two  thousand  pikes  and  ten  thou- 
sand muskets,  as  the  inventory  read.  No  won- 
der Kichelieu  would  have  reduced  the  power 
of  the  local  seigneurs  when  they  could  get,  and 
keep  together,  such  a  store  as  that. 

Vizille  abounds  in  historical  memories  the 
most  exciting;  the  very  fact  that  it  was  the 
home  of  Lesdiguieres,  the  terrible  companion 
of  the  Baron  des  Adrets  —  a  Dauphinese  ty- 
rant, a  warrior-pillager  and  much  more  that 
history  vouches  for  —  explains  this. 

*'  Viendrez  ou  je  b rider ai,"  Lesdiguieres 
wrote  to  the  recalcitrant  vassals  of  his  king 
who  originally  had  a  castle  on  the  same  site. 
And  when  they  stepped  out,  lea\^ng  the  edifice 
unhanned,  he  stepped  in  and  threw  it  to  the 
ground  and  built  the  less  militant  chateau 
which  one  sees  to-day.  This  edifice  as  it  now 
stands  was  practically  the  work  of  Lesdiguieres. 
The  Protestant  governor  of  Dauphiny  was 
reckoned  a  "sly  fox  "  by  the  Due  de  Savoie, 
and  doubtless  with  reason.  It  is  a  recorded 
fact  of  history  that  the  governor  built  his  cha- 
teau with  the  unpaid  labour  of  the  neighbouring 
peasants.  This  was  in  conformity  with  an  old 
custom  by  which  a  governor  of  the  Crown  could 
release  his  subject  from  taxes  by  the  payment 


228  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

of  a  corvee,  that  is,  labour  for  the  State.  He 
took  it  to  mean  that  as  the  representative  of  the 
state  the  peasants  were  bound  to  work  for  him. 
And  so  they  did.  The  charge  goes  home  never- 
theless that  it  was  a  case  of  official  sinning. 

This  "  Berceau  de  la  Liberte  "  is  in  form 
an  elegant  pavilion  of  the  style  current  with 
Louis  XIII.  Originally  it  possessed  certain 
decorative  features,  statues  and  bas  reliefs,  all 
more  or  less  mutilated  to-day.  What  is  left 
gives  an  aspect  of  magnificence,  but  after  all 
these  features  are  of  no  very  high  artistic  order. 
Within,  the  decoration  of  the  apartments  and 
their  furnishings  rise  to  a  considerably  higher 
plane.  Everywhere  may  be  seen  the  arms  of 
the  Constable,  three  roses  and  a  lion,  the  latter 
rampant,  naturally,  as  becomes  the  device  of 
a  warrior. 

The  later  career  of  the  Chateau  de  Vizille  has 
been  most  ignoble.  Twice  in  the  last  century 
it  suffered  by  fire,  in  1825  and  1865,  and  finally 
it  was  rented  as  a  store-house  for  a  manufac- 
turing concern,  later  to  become  a  boarding 
house  controlled  by  a  Societe  Anglaise.  Noth- 
ing good  came  of  the  last  project  and  the  enter- 
prise failed,  as  might  have  been  anticipated  at 
the  commencement.  To-day  the  property  is  on 
the  market,  or  was  until  very  recently. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

CHAMBERY   AND    THE   LAC    DU   BOURGET 

One  comes  to  Cliambery  to  see  the  chateau 
of  the  Dues  de  Savoie,  the  modest  villa  ''  Les 
Charmettes,"  celebrated  by  the  sojourn  of  Jean 
Jacques  Eousseau  and  Madame  de  Warens. 
and  the  Fontaine  des  Elephants.  That  is  all 
Chambery  has  for  those  who  would  worship  at 
picturesque  or  romantic  shrines,  save  its  acces- 
sibility to  all  Savoy. 

To  begin  with  the  last  mentioned  attraction 
first,  one  may  dispose  of  the  Fontaine  des  Ele- 
phants in  a  word.  It  has  absolutely  no  artistic 
or  sentimental  appeal,  though  the  town  resi- 
dents worship  before  it  as  a  Buddhist  does  be- 
fore Buddha.  The  ducal  splendour  of  the  cha-. 
teau  and  of  ''La  Sainte  Chapelle,"  which  to- 
gether form  the  mass  commonly  referred  to  as 
"  the  chateau,"  is  indeed  the  first  of  Cham- 
bery's  attractions.  Restorations  of  various 
epochs  have  made  of  the  fabric  something  that 
will  stand  the  changes  of  the  seasons  for  gener- 

229 


230  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

ations  yet  to  come  and  still  preserve  its  mediae- 
val characteristics.  This  is  saying  that  the  res- 
toration of  the  Chateau  de  Chambery  has  been 
intelligently  conceived  and  well  executed. 

The  great  portal,  preceded  by  an  ornate  ter- 
race, with  a  statue  of  the  Freres  de  Maistre,  is 
the  chief  and  most  splendid  architectural  detail. 
A  good  second  is  the  old  portal  of  the  Eglise 
Saint  Dominique,  which  has  been  incorporated 
into  the  chateau  as  has  been  the  Sainte  Cha- 
pelle.  Its  chevet  and  its  deep-set  windows  form 
the  most  striking  externals  of  this  conglomerate 
structure. 

One  of  the  old  towers  forms  another  domi- 
nant note  when  viewed  from  without,  but  let 
no  one  who  climbs  to  its  upper  platform  for 
a  view  of  the  classic  panorama  of  the  city  and 
its  surroundings  think  that  he,  or  she,  treads 
the  stones  where  trod  lords  and  ladies  of  ro- 
mantic times,  for  the  stairway  is  a  poor  modern 
thing  bolstered  up  by  iron  rods,  as  unlovely  as 
a  fire-escape  ladder  on  an  apartment  house,  and 
no  more  romantic. 

It  was  in  the  Chateau  de  Chambery  that  was 
consummated  the  final  ceremony  by  which 
Savoy  was  made  an  independent  duchy  in 
1416.  Historians  of  all  ranks  have  described 
the  magnificence   of  the  event  in  no   sparing 


Portal   oj   the   Chateau   de   Ch a mbery 


Chambery 


231 


Ported  St.  Dominique,  Chambery 


232  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

terms.  It  was  the  most  gorgeous  spectacle  ever 
played  upon  the  stage  of  which  this  fine  old 
mediaeval  castle  was  the  theatre. 

The  final  act  of  the  ceremony  took  place  be- 
fore a  throng  of  princes,  prelates  and  various 
seigneurs  and  minor  vassals  of  all  the  neigh- 
bouring kingdoms  and  principalities.  The  Em- 
peror Sigismond,  Amadee  VIII,  who  was  to 
be  the  new  duke,  dined  alone  upon  a  raised  dais 
in  the  Grande  Salle,  and  the  service  was  made 
by  ''a  richly  dressed  throng  of  seigneurs 
mounted  on  brilliantly  caparisoned  chargers." 
This  is  quoted  from  a  historical  chronicle,  which 
however  neglects  to  state  the  quality  of  the 
service.  It  is  quite  possible  that  it  may  not 
have  been  above  reproach. 

Here,  a  couple  of  centuries  later,  another 
Victor-Amadee  married  the  Princesse  Henri- 
ette,  Duchesse  d 'Orleans.  The  bride  to  be  had 
never  met  her  future  husband  until  they  came 
together  at  a  little  village  near-by,  as  she  was 
journeying  to  the  Savoyan  castle  for  the  cere- 
mony. Says  the  chronicle :  ' '  When  the  prin- 
cess saw  the  pageant,  at  the  head  of  which 
marched  Victor-Amadee,  the  fair  young  man  of 
distinguished  and  martial  bearing,  without  a 
moment's  hesitation,  casting  to  the  winds  all 
her  jDrevious  instruction  in  matters  of  etiquette, 


■,^pk^:iJSw^^ie*e-- 


Chateau  dc  Chamber \ 


l! 


Chambery  233 

she  flew  down  the  stairs  and  into  the  street  and 
finally  into  the  arms  of  the  duke. ' ' 

The  marriage  was  not,  however,  a  happy  one. 
The  duke  became  disloyal  to  his  vows  and  left 
his  wife  to  pine  and  inoau  away  her  days  in  the 
ducal  chateau  whilst  he  went  off  campaigning 
for  other  hearts  and  lands.  He  acquired  Sicily, 
and  became  the  first  King  of  Sicily  and  Sar- 
dinia, and  paved  the  way  for  the  future  great- 
ness of  his  house,  but  this  was  not  accomplished 
by  adherence  to  the  code  of  marital  constancy. 

The  Chateau  de  Chambery  was  finally  aban- 
doned definitely  by  the  Savoyan  dukes,  who, 
when  they  became  also  monarchs  of  Sardinia, 
took  up  their  residence  at  Turin.  The  "  beaux 
jours  "  had  passed  never  to  return.  Hence- 
forth its  career  was  to  be  less  brilliant,  for  it 
but  rarely  received  even  passing  visits  from  its 
masters.  In  1745  it  was  considerably  damaged 
by  fire ;  in  1775  it  was,  in  a  way,  furbished  up 
and  put  in  order  for  the  marriage  of  Charles 
Emmanuel  and  Madame  Clotilde  of  France,  but 
again,  in  1798,  it  was  ravaged  by  fire. 

From  1793  to  1810  the  chateau  was  the  head- 
quarters of  the  officialdom  of  the  newly  formed 
Departement  du  Mont  Blanc,  and  in  1860  it  was 
used  as  the  Prefecture  of  the  Departement  de  la 
Savoie.    Napoleon  III,  journeying  this  way  in 


234  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

1860,  decided  to  make  it  an  imperial  residence 
and  certain  transformations  to  that  end  were 
undertaken,  but  it  never  came  to  real  distinc- 
tion again,  save  that  it  exists  as  an  admirable 
example  of  a  ''  monument  historiqne  "  of  the 
old  regime. 

It  was  on  the  esplanade,  beneath  the  windows 
of  the  chateau,  that  Amadee  Yl  won  the  title 
of  the  Comte  Vert,  because  of  the  preponderant 
colours  of  his  arms  and  costume  in  a  tourna- 
ment which  was  held  here  in  1348. 

The  third  of  Chambery's  classic  sights,  "  Les 
Oharmettes,"  is  the  "  delicious  habitation  " 
rendered  so  celebrated  by  Eousseau.  One  ar- 
rives at  "  Les  Charmettes  "  by  a  discreet  and 
shady  by-path.  It  has  been  preserved  quite  in 
its  primitive  state  and  is  devoid  of  any  pre- 
tence whatever.  Its  charm  is  idealistic,  roman- 
tic and  intimate.  Nothing  grandiose  has  place 
here.  It  is  a  simple  two-story,  sloping  tiled- 
roof  habitation  of  the  countryside.  As  the 
"  Confessions  "  puts  it,  '^  Les  Charmettes  '* 
was  discovered  thus:  "  Apres  avoir  un  peu 
cherche  nous  nous  fixdmes  an  Charmettes  .  .  . 
a  la  porte  de  Cliarnhery,  mats  retiree  et  soli- 
taire, comem  si  Von  en  etait  a  cent  lieusV 

This  dwelling  where  Jean  Jacques  passed  so 
many  of  his  ''  rares  hons  jours  *'  of  his  adven- 


Chambery 


235 


turous  life  has  been  bought  by  the  city,  and 
will  henceforth  be  guarded  as  a  public  monu- 


ment, a  tourist  shrine  like  the  Chateau  des  Dues 
and  La  Grande  Chartreuse.    Here  Madame  de 


236  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Warens  will  reign  again  in  the  effigy  of  a  repro- 
duction of  Quentin  de  la  Tour's  famous  por- 
trait, possessed  of  that  '^  air  caressant  et 
tendre  "  and  ''  sourire  angelique  "  which  so 
captured  the  author  of  the  ''  Confessions." 
Arthur  Young,  that  observant  English  agricul- 
turalist, who  travelled  so  extensively  in  France, 
paid  a  warm  tribute  to  Rousseau's  good  fairy 
when  he  wrote :  ''  There  was  something  so  ami- 
able in  her  character  that  in  spite  of  her  frail- 
ties her  name  rests  among  those  few  memories 
connected  with  us  by  ties  more  easily  felt  than 
described." 

In  one  of  his  stories  Alphonse  Daudet  tells 
us  of  a  bourgeois  who  had  purchased  an  old 
chateau,  and  was  driven  away  from  it  by  the 
ghosts  of  the  family  which  had  preceded  him 
as  proprietors.  Surely  something  of  the  same 
kind  might  have  happened  to  that  citizen  of  the 
United  States  who  proposed  to  transport  '^  Les 
Charmettes  "  to  Chicago.  The  offer  was  de- 
clined and  that  is  how  the  city  of  Chambery 
came  to  possess  it  for  all  time.  It  is  well  that 
this  took  place,  for  there  is  hardly  a  house  in 
Europe  in  which  one  would  imagine  that  the 
ghosts  of  history  would  so  persistently  survive. 

Not  only  was  "  Les  Charmettes  "  and 
Madame  de  Warens  connected  so  intimately, 


Chambery  237 

but  they  were  also  associated  with  another 
name  less  known  in  the  world  of  letters.  Hear 
what  the  "  Confessions  "  has  to  say: 

*'  He  was  a  young  man  from  Viaud;  his 
father,  named  Vintzinried,  was  a  self-styled 
captain  of  the  Cliateau  de  Chillon  on  Lac 
Leman.  The  son  was  a  hair-dresser's  assistant 
and  was  running  about  the  world  in  that  quality 
when  he  came  to  present  himself  to  Madame  de 
Warens,  who  received  him  well,  as  she  did  all 
travellers,  and  especially  those  from  her  own 
country.  He  was  a  big,  dull  blond,  well-made 
enough,  his  face  insipid,  his  intelligence  the 
same,  speaking  like  a  beautiful  Leander  .  .  . 
vain,  stupid,  ignorant,  insolent."  For  the  rest 
one  is  referred  to  the  "  Confessions." 

Within  a  radius  of  fifty  kilometres  of  Cham- 
bery there  are  more  than  thirty  historic  cha- 
teaux or  fortresses  of  the  middle  ages  and  the 
Renaissance.  Many  are  in  an  admirable,  if  not 
perfect,  state  of  preservation,  and  all  offer 
something  of  historic  and  artistic  interest, 
though  manifestly  not  all  can  be  included  in  a 
rush  across  France.  This  fact  is  patent;  that  a 
picturesquely  disposed  and  imposing  castle  or 
chateau  adds  much  to  the  pleasing  aspect  of  a 
landscape,  and  here  in  this  land  of  mountain 
peaks  and  smiling  valleys  the  prospect  is  as 


238  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

varied  as  one  could  hope  to  find.^  Built  often  on 
a  mountain  slope  —  and  as  often  on  a  mountain 
peak  —  frequently  within  sight  of  one  another, 
the  dwellers  therein  would  have  been  glad  of 
some  means  of  "  wireless  "  communication  be- 
tween their  houses,  for  not  always  were  the 
seigneurs  at  war  with  their  neighbours. 

Off  to  the  southward,  towards  Saint  Michel 
de  Maurienne,  is  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
of  these  hill-top  chateaux.  Chignin  is  still  the 
proud  relic  of  an  ancient  chateau  which  is  a 
land-mark  for  miles  around.  It  has  no  history 
worth  recounting,  but  is  as  much  like  the  con- 
ventional Ehine  castle  of  reality  and  imagina- 
tion as  any  to  be  seen  away  from  the  banks  of 
that  turgid  stream.  On  a  lofty  eminence  are 
four  great  towers  to  remind  one  of  the  more 
extensive  structure  to  which  they  were  once 
connected.  These  ruins,  and  another  rebuilt 
tower  of  the  old  chateau  of  the  twelfth  and  thir- 
teenth centuries,  are  now  practically  all  devoted 
to  the  religious  usages  of  the  Chartreux,  but  in 
spite  of  this  they  present  a  militant  aspect  such 
as  one  usually  associates  with  things  secular. 

The  round  of  Lac  Bourget,  which  environs 
Chambery  on  the  north,  suggests  many  historic 
souvenirs  of  the  dukes  and  the  days  when  they 
held  their  court  at  the  Chateau  de  Chambery. 


Chateau    de   Ch'r^iiin 


I 


Chambery 239 

Between  Chambery  and  Aix-les-Bains,  just 
beside  that  wide  dusty  road  along  which  scorch 
the  twentieth  century  nouveau  riche,  who  wiih 
their  villas  and  gigantic  hotels  have  all  but 
spoiled  this  idyllic  corner  of  old  Europe,  rise 
the  walls  of  the  Chateau  de  Montagny,  captured 
in  1814  by  the  allied  armies  marching  against 
France,  and  which  still  conserves,  embedded  in 
its  portal,  a  great  shot,  one  of  a  broadside  which 
finally  battered  in  its  door.  If  one  would  see 
war-like  souvenirs  still  more  barbarous,  a  cast 
of  the  eye  off  towards  Montmelian  and  Miolans 
will  awaken  even  more  bloody  ones.  Their 
story  is  told  elsewhere  in  these  pages. 

At  Bourget  du  Lac,  a  dozen  kilometres  out, 
are  the  ruins  of  the  Chateau  de  Bourget,  within 
sight  of  the  ancient  Lacus  Castilion,  and  a  near 
neighbour  of  the  celebrated  Abbey  of  Haute- 
combe. 

Comte  Ame  V  was  bom  in  the  Chateau  de 
Bourget  in  1249.  It  had  previously  belonged  to 
the  Seigneur  de  la  Eochette,  and  during  the 
thirteenth  century  was  occupied  continually  by 
the  princes  of  the  house  of  Savoy.  As  may  be 
judged  by  all  who  \^ew,  its  site  was  most  ravish- 
ing, and  though  one  may  not  even  imagine 
what  its  architectural  display  may  actually 
have  been  it  is  known  that  Ame  V  bestowed 


240  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

mucli  care  and  wealth  upon  it  when  he  came  to 
man's  estate.  A  pupil  of  Giotto's  was  brought 
from  Italy  to  superintend  the  decorations,  and 
evidences  have  been  found  in  the  ruined  tower 
at  the  right  of  the  present  heap  of  ruins  which 
suggest  some  of  the  decorative  splendour  which 
the  building  one  day  possessed.  In  spite  of  its 
fragmentary  condition  the  ruin  of  the  Chateau 
de  Bourget  is  one  of  the  most  romantically  dis- 
posed souvenirs  of  its  era  in  Savoy,  and  one 
may  well  echo  the  words  of  a  local  poet  who  has 
praised  it  with  all  sincerity. 

"  0  lac,  te  ^ouvient-il  .  .  .  des  heaux  jours  du  vieux  castel." 

The  chronicles,  too,  have  much  to  say  of  the 
brilliant  succession  of  seigneurs  who  came  to 
visit  the  Comtes  de  Savoie  here  in  their  wild- 
wood  retreat,  *'  a  line  of  counts  as  noble,  rich 
and  powerful  as  sovereigns  of  kingdoms." 

The  sepulchre  of  the  Savoyan  counts  in  the 
old  Abbey  of  Hautecombe  must  naturally  form 
a  part  of  any  pilgrimage  to  the  neighbouring 
chateau.  For  no  reason  whatever  can  it  be  neg- 
lected by  the  visitor  to  these  parts,  the  less  so 
by  the  chateau-worshipper  just  because  it  is  a 
religious  foundation.  It  is  in  fact  the  mauso- 
leum of  the  princes  of  the  house  of  Savoy. 
Within  its  walls  are  buried  various  members 


Abbey  of  ITaiitccombe 


9 


Chambery  241 

of  the  d^Tiasty  who  would  have  made  of  it  the 
Valhalla  of  their  time. 

"  H  est  un  coin  de  terre,  au  pied  d'une  montagne 
Que  haigne  le  lac  du  Bourget 

Hauiecombe  !  port  calme  !     0  royal  monastere  ! 
Abri  des  Jils  de  Saint  Bernard." 

At  the  extreme  northerly  end  of  the  Lac  du 
Bourget  is  the  ancient  Manoir  de  Chatillon,  sit- 
ting high  on  an  isolated  and  wooded  hillside 
above  the  gently  lapjDing  waters,  and  in  full 
view  of  the  snow-capped  mountains  of  the  Al- 
pine chain  to  the  eastward. 

Here  was  bom,  towards  the  end  of  the  twelfth 
century,  Geoffroi  de  Chatillon,  son  of  Jean  de 
Chatillon  and  Cassandra  Cribelli,  sister  of  Pope 
Urban  III.  In  every  way  the  edifice  is  an 
ideally  picturesque  one,  as  much  so  because  of 
its  site  and  its  historical  foundation.  As  an 
architectural  glory  it  is  a  melange  of  many 
sorts,  with  scarce  a  definite  fpsthetic  attribute. 
It  is  as  an  historical  guide-post  that  it  appears 
in  its  best  light.  Its  chief  deity,  Geoffroi,  be- 
came a  canon  and  chancellor  of  the  chapter  at 
!Milan ;  later  he  entered  the  religious  retreat  of 
Hautecombe,  from  which  Gregory  IX  finally 
drew  him  forth  to  make  him  a  cardinal-bishop. 


242  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

He  ultimately  succeeded  to  the  pontifical  robes 
and  tiara  himself  as  Celestin  IV  (1241).  He 
died  eighteen  days  later,  poisoned,  it  is  said,  so 
his  reign  at  the  head  of  Christendom  was  per- 
haps the  briefest  on  record. 

Bordeau,  another  ruined  memory  of  mediae- 
valism,  also  overlooks  the  Lac  du  Bourget  from 
near-by. 

Aix-les-Bains  is  of  course  the  lode-stone 
which  draws  the  majority  of  travellers  to  this 
corner  of  the  world.  It  is  but  a  city  of  pleasure, 
a  modern  ''  Spa,"  the  outgrowth  of  another  of 
Roman  times  when  they  took  '^  cures  "  more 
seriously.  It  has  the  reputation  to-day,  among 
those  who  are  really  in  the  whirl  of  things,  as 
being  the  gayest,  if  not  the  most  profligate  — 
and  there  is  some  suspicion  of  that  —  watering 
place  in  Europe.  Judging  from  prices  alone, 
and  admitting  the  disposition  or  willingness  of 
those  who  would  be  gay  to  pay  high  prices  with- 
out a  murmur,  this  is  probably  so. 

The  site  of  Aix-les-Bains  is  lovely,  and  its 
waters  really  beneficial  —  so  the  doctors  say, 
and  probably  with  truth.  Its  Casino  is  only 
second  to  that  of  Monte  Carlo. 

The  chief  charm  of  Aix-les-Bains  after  all  is, 
or  ought  to  be,  its  accessibility  to  the  historic 
masterpieces  roundabout,  and  its  delightful  sit- 


Chambery  243 

uation  by  the  shores  of  the  "  lac  bleu  "  whose 
praises  were  so  loudly  sung  by  Lamartine  in 
''  Eaphael." 

North  from  Chambeiy  and  east  from  Aix-les- 
Bains,  is  a  mountain  region  known  as  Les 
Bauges,  a  little  known  and  less  exploited  region. 
It  is  a  charming  isolated  corner  of  Savoy, 
where  once  roamed  the  gorgeous  equipages  of 
the  Dues  de  Savoie,  who  here  hunted  the  wild 
boar,  the  deer  and  the  bears  and  foxes  to  their 
hearts*  content.  To-day  pretty  much  all  game 
of  this  nature  has  disajDpeared,  save  an  occa- 
sional sanglier,  or  wild  boar,  which,  when  met 
with,  usually  turns  tail  and  runs. 

Midway  in  this  mountain  land  between  Aix- 
les-Bains  and  Albertville  is  Le  Chatelard,  a  tiny 
townlet  on  the  banks  of  a  mountain  torrent,  the 
Cheran.  On  a  hill  above  the  town,  at  a 
height  of  nearly  three  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea  level,  are  the  insignificant  remains  of  the 
chateau  of  Thomas  de  Savoie.  Scant  remains 
they  are  to  be  sure,  endowed  with  a  history  as 
scant,  since  little  written  word  is  to  be  met  with 
concerning  them. 

Otherwise  the  chateau  is  a  very  satisfactory 
historical  monument. 

After  climbing  a  tortuous  winding  path  one 
comes  suddenly  upon  a  great  walled  barrier 


244  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

through  which  opens  a  door  on  which  is  to  be 
read  ; 

ox    EST    PRIE 
DE    FERMER    LES 
PORTES 

(J'exige). 

The  last  line  is  delicious.  Of  course  one 
would  close  the  doors  after  the  mere  intimation 
that  it  was  desired  that  they  should  be  closed. 
The  proprietor  says  that  he  demands  it,  but  he 
takes  no  measures  to  see  that  his  demands  are 
carried  out.  AYhat  pretence !  All  the  same  the 
pilgrimage  is  worth  the  making,  but  it's  not  an 
easy  jaunt. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

IN"   THE   SHADOW   OF   LA   GRANDE    CHARTREUSE 

One  may  leave  Rousseau's  smiling  valley 
above  Cliambery  and  journey  to  Grenoble  via 
La  Grande  Chartreuse,  or  by  the  valley  of  the 
Isere,  as  fancy  dictates.  In  either  case  one 
should  double  back  and  cover  the  other  route  or 
much  will  otherwise  be  missed  that  will  be  re- 
gretted. 

Grenoble  is  militant  from  heel  to  toe.  Its 
garrison  is  of  vast  numbers,  soldiers  of  all 
ranks  and  all  arms  are  everj^where,  and  every 
hill  round-about  bristles  with  a  fortification 
or  a  battery  of  masked  guns. 

Every  foot  of  the  region  is  historic  ground, 
and  whether  one  crosses  from  Savoy  to  Dau- 
phiny  or  from  Dauphiny  to  Savoy  the  border- 
land is  at  all  times  reminiscent  of  the  historic 
past. 

The  cradle  of  the  Dauphin  princes  of  France 
is  not  only  a  region  of  mountains  and  valleys, 
but  it  is  a  land  where  a  numerous  and  warlike 

245 


246  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

nobility  was  able  to  withstand  invaders  and  op- 
pressors to  the  last.  Like  Scotland,  Dauphiny 
was  never  conquered ;  at  least  it  lost  no  meas- 
ure of  its  original  independence  by  its  alliances 
until  it  was  cut  up  into  the  present-day  depart- 
ments of  modern  France. 

Dauphiny  is  possessed  of  multiple  aspects. 
It  has  the  sun-burnt  character  of  Provence  in 
the  south,  with  Montelimar  and  Grignan  as  its 
chief  centres;  it  has  its  coteaux  and  falaises, 
like  those  of  Normandy,  around  Crest  and  Die ; 
and  its  '*  Petite  Hollande  "  neighbouring  upon 
Tour-de-Pin  where  the  Dauphins  once  had  a 
gem  of  a  little  rest-house  which  still  exists  to- 
day. The  mountains  of  Dauphiny  rival  the 
Alps  of  Switzerland  —  the  famous  Barre  des 
Serins  is  only  a  shade  less  dominant  than  Mont 
Blanc  itself. 

The  chief  singer  of  the  praises  of  Dauphiny 
has  ever  been  Lamartine.  No  one  has  pictured 
its  varied  aspects  better. 

"  L'oeil  embrasse  au  matin  I'horizon  qu'il  domine 
Et  regarde,  a  travers  les  branches  de  noyer, 
Les  eaux  bleuir  au  loin  et  la  plaine  ondoyer. 

On  voit  a  mille  pieds  au  dessous  de  leurs  branches 
La  grande  plaine  bleue  avec  ses  routes  blanches 
Les  moissons  jaunes  d'or,  les  bois  comme  un  point  noir, 
L'Isere  renvoyant  le  ciel  comme  un  miroir." 


Maison  des  Dauphins,   Tour-de-Pin 


La  Grande  Chartreuse  247 

The  very  topographical  aspect  of  Dauphiny 
has  bespoken  romance  and  chivalry  at  all  times. 
The  mass  of  La  Grande  Chartreuse  was  dedi- 
cated to  religious  devotion,  but  those  of  other 
mountain  chains,  and  the  plains  and  valleys 
lying  between,  were  strewn  with  castle  towers 
and  donjons  almost  to  the  total  exclusion  of 
church  spires. 

Coming  south  from  Chambery  by  the  valley 
of  the  Graisivaudan,  by  the  side  of  the  rushing 
waters  of  the  Isere  hurrying  on  its  way  to  join 
the  greater  Ehone  at  Valence,  the  point  of  view 
is  manifestly  one  which  suggests  feudalism  in 
all  its  militant  glory,  rather  than  the  recogni- 
tion of  the  fact  that  it  is  overshadowed  by  the 
height  of  La  Grande  Chartreuse,  whose  influ- 
ences were  wholly  dissimilar. 

It  was  the  valley  of  Graisivaudan  that  Louis 
XII  rather  impulsively  called  the  most  beauti- 
ful garden  of  France:  ^' cliarme  par  la  divi- 
nite  de  ses  plantements  et  les  tours  en  serpen- 
tant  qu'i/  fait  la  riviere  Isere." 

Stendhal,  too,  compared  it  to  the  finest  val- 
leys of  Piedmont.  One  may  differ,  but  it  is  a 
very  beautiful  prospect  indeed  which  opens  out 
from  Barraux  or  Pontcharra,  midway  between 
Grenoble  and  Chambery. 

Near   Pontcharra    is    the   Chateau   Bayard, 


248  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

where  was  born  and  lived  the  famous  "  Cheva- 
lier, sans  peur  et  sans  reproche."  As  an  his- 
toric monument  of  rank  its  position  is  pre- 
eminent, though  not  much  can  be  said  of  its 
architectural  pretence.  Still  here  it  is,  on  the 
route  from  Grenoble  to  Gap  by  the  famous  Col. 
Bayard,  also  celebrated  in  history,  almost  as 
much  so  as  the  famous  Breche  de  Roland  in  the 
Pyrenees. 

It  was  through  this  cleft  in  the  mountain  that 
Napoleon  marched  on  that  eventful  journey 
from  Golfe  Jouan  to  Paris  in  the  attempt  to 
rise  again  to  power.  It  was  not  far  from  the 
crest,  the  pass  between  the  two  principal  val- 
leys of  the  French  Alps,  that  Napoleon  made 
the  first  important  additions  to  the  few  fol- 
lowers who  had  gathered  around  him  on  his 
doubtful  journey.  The  troops  sent  out  from 
Grenoble  opposed  his  progress,  whereupon  he 
advanced  towards  them,  bareheaded  and  alone, 
and  demanded  to  know  if  they,  his  former  fel- 
lows in  arms,  would  kill  their  leader.  Not  one 
of  them  would  fire,  though  the  order  was  actu- 
ally given.  "With  one  common  inspiration  they 
went  over  to  him  en  masse,  with  the  classic  cry 
of  ''  Vive  VEmpereur!  "  and  continued  their 
way  towards  the  capital,  where,  just  before 
Grenoble,  they  were  also  joined  by  the  forces 


La  Grande  Chartreuse  249 

of  Labedoyere,  witli  their  colonel  at  their  head, 
sent  out  to  stop  them. 

On  the  shores  of  the  Grand  Lac  de  Laffrey, 
as  the  marvellous  mountain  road  swings  by  on 
its  corniche,  one  notes  a  marble  tablet  on  which 
is  carven  the  following  words,  which  are  quite 
worth  copying  down.  Xo  further  explanatory 
inscription  is  to  be  seen,  simply  the  words: 

"  Soldats .'  Je  suis  votre  Empereur.  Ne  me  reconnaissez 
vous  pas  !  S'il  en  est  un  parmi  vous  qui  veuille  tuer  son  general, 
mevoila!"     (7  Mars  1815.) 

In  spite  of  the  significance  of  the  words  the 
driver  of  a  cart  going  the  same  way  as  our- 
selves professed  an  utter  ignorance  of  their 
meaning.  Passing  strange,  this,  but  true!  Is 
it  for  this  that  history  is  written? 

The  ruins  of  the  Chateau  de  Bayard  sit  im- 
posingly on  a  height  commanding  a  wide-spread 
panorama  of  the  valley  below,  and  the  distant 
barrier  of  mountain  peaks  on  every  side.  The 
walls  and  turrets  are  mouldering  to-day,  as 
they  have  been  for  generations,  but  local  his- 
torians and  antiquarians  have  on  more  than  one 
occasion  written  of  the  rooms  and  gardens 
where  strolled  and  played  the  youthful  warrior, 
and  acquired  the  principles  which  afterwards 
led  to  so  great  a  fame. 


250  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Of  the  ancient  chateau  of  the  thirteenth  and 
fourteenth  centuries,  where  (1476-1524)  was 
born  the  Chevalier  Bayard,  but  a  crumbling 
portal  and  tower  remain  sufficiently  well  pre- 
served to  suggest  the  dignity  it  once  had.  They 
attach  themselves  to  two  minor  structures,  one 
of  which  was  probably  the  chapel,  and  the 
other,  perhaps,  the  Salle  des  Gardes.  "Within 
the  walls  which  enclose  the  latter  are  also  the 
apartments  which  were  occupied  by  the  war- 
rior-knight in  his  youth,  doubtless  the  same  as 
that  in  which  his  mother,  Helene  AUeman,  gave 
him  birth.  The  guardian  claims  all  this,  and, 
since  this  is  what  you  come  to  see,  you  accept 
the  assertion  gratefully,  though  history  itself 
vouches  for  nothing  so  precise. 

A  bridge  which  crosses  the  river  Breda  at 
this  point  has  on  its  parapet  an  equestrian 
statue  representing  the  infant  Bayard.  The 
"  bon  chevalier  "  was  descended  from  a  local 
lord  who  bore  the  name  of  Bayart,  but  some 
careless  chronicler  changed  the  final  consonant 
of  Aymon  Ter rail's  title  (Seigneur  de  Bay- 
art)  ,  and  the  name  of  his  better  known  progeny 
has  thus  gone  to  history. 

The  family  was  of  antique  extraction;  "  of  a 
noble  and  antique  chivalry,"  as  one  learns 
from  the  old  historians  of  Dauphiny.     "  The 


La  Grande  Chartreuse  251 

prowess  of  a  Terrail  "  lias  passed  into  a  local 
proverb.  So  the  infant  Terrail  who  was  to 
become  the  future  Bayard  came  to  his  glorious 
calling  by  good  right.  At  the  age  of  six  or 
seven  the  young  Terrail  went  to  live  with  his 
uncle,  Bishop  of  Grenoble,  but  at  twelve  re- 
turned to  the  paternal  chateau,  where  his  in- 
clinations became  the  ^'  plus  belliqueuses," 
whereas,  before,  his  infant  predilections  were 
of  a  studious  kind.  Henceforth  he  was  for  war, 
and  he  came  rightly  enough  by  his  liking,  for 
one  of  his  ancestors,  Philippe  Terrail,  died  glo- 
riously  at  Fjjitiers,  another  at  Crecy,  another  at 
Verneuil  and  another,  already  known  as  ' '  Epee 
Terrail  "  to  the  English,  died  at  the  side  of 
Louis  XL 

Young  Pierre  was  asked  by  his  father  (1487) 
what  profession  he  would  adopt,  and  it  was 
then  that  he  replied  that  the  war  spirit  was 
bred  in  him  and  that  he  would  never  renounce 
it.  His  uncle,  the  bishop,  presented  him  to  the 
Due  Charles  de  Savoie,  who  was  holding  court 
at  the  moment  at  Chambery,  and  by  his  mere 
riding  up  on  his  horse  before  the  duke,  he  was 
immediately  accepted  as  a  page  of  his  suite. 

Opposite  Pontcharra,  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  Isere,  is  the  comparatively  modern  Fort 
Barraux,  which  looks  far  more  ideally  pictur- 


252  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

esque  tlian  the  historic  castle  of  the  Bayards. 
History  has  not  been  silent  with  regard  to  the 
fortifying  of  these  mountain  peaks  of  Dauphiny 
and  Savoy.  The  fortress  was  first  built  on  this 
site  by  Charles  Emmanuel,  Due  de  Savoie, 
though  an  opposing  army  was  drawn  up  before 
him  under  the  command  of  the  celebrated  Con- 
netable  Lesdigiiieres.  Being  reproved  by  his 
king,  Henri  IV,  for  his  dilatoriness  in  allowing 
the  enemy  to  so  entrench  itself  whilst  he  and 
his  men  stood  idly  by,  the  Connetable  saga- 
ciously and  brilliantly  replied,  "  Your  ^Majesty 
has  need  of  a  fortress  on  the  Savoyan  side  to 
hold  in  check  that  of  Montmelian,  and  since 
Charles  Emmanuel  has  been  good  enough  to 
commence  the  building  of  one,  let  us  wait  until 
it  is  finished."  The  wait  was  not  long,  and  the 
completed  fortress,  after  a  very  slight  struggle, 
came  to  the  French  king. 

The  remarkable  feudal  Chateau  de  Eoche- 
fort-en-Montagne,  above  Pontcharra,  is  a  ruin 
scarcely  equalled,  as  a  ruin,  by  any  other  above 
ground  to-day.  It  has  a  majestic  sadness  and 
appeal,  crumbled  and  dishonoured  though  it 
is. 

To  paint  the  picture  one  must  hold  the  brush 
himself.  Little  satisfaction  can  be  got  from  the 
contemplation  of  another's  sketch  of  this  noble 


La  Grande  Chartreuse  253 

ruin.  Grand  and  imposing  it  is,  however, 
though  but  a  mere  echo  of  the  splendid  edifices 
of  the  Renaissance  in  the  Loire  valley,  and  yet 
its  firm,  flat  ground  plan,  its  massive  portal 
and  its  massive  round  tower  are  all  reminiscent 
of  the  best  of  the  Renaissance  castle  builder's 
art.  The  point  should  be  recognized  neverthe- 
less that  it  is  of  the  mountain  and  not  of  the 
plain.  This  will  account  for  many  of  its  vaga- 
ries of  detail  as  compared  with  the  more  famil- 
iar chateaux  of  the  Loire. 

The  surroundings  are  varied  and  beautiful, 
and  the  grim  gaunt  drabness  of  the  proud  old 
walls  give  at  once  a  note  of  melancholy  memory 
which  sounds  perhaps  the  stronger  because  this 
fine  old  feudal  monument  is  but  a  shell  as 
compared  contrastingly  with  the  better  pre- 
served examples  of  its  era  to  be  seen  in  mid- 
France. 

The  property  belongs  to-day  to  the  Roche- 
fort-Lucay  family,  of  which  Henri  Rochefort, 
tlie  publicist,  is  best  known.  It  is  not,  however, 
habitable  in  any  sense,  but  it  could  be  made  so 
with  a  more  reasonable  expenditure  than  one 
usually  puts  into  a  great  country  house,  so  let 
us  hope  that  its  fortunes  will  some  day  come 
into  their  own  again. 

Just  below  Grenoble  are  Sassenage  and  Saint 


254  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Donat,  quite  unknown  and  unwor shipped.  They 
deserve  a  better  fame.  Sassenage,  but  six  kilo- 
metres from  Grrenoble,  is  what  the  French  call 
"  propre,  riant  "  and  '^  aise."  It  is  all  this, 
as  a  round  of  a  fortnight's  excursions  in  differ- 
ent directions,  in  and  out  of  Grenoble,  proved 
to  us.  There  is  nothing  else  quite  in  its  class, 
and  its  chateau  is  a  wonderfully  chiselled  ser- 
mon in  stone,  as  its  portal  and  fagade  demon- 
strate readily  enough  to  the  most  casual  ob- 
server. A  most  curious  emblem  is  here  to  be 
noted.  It  is  worthy  of  being  added  to  those 
carved  porcupines  and  salamanders  of  Louis 
XII  and  FrauQois  Premier.  In  this  case  it  is 
a  mythological,  or  traditional,  figure,  half 
woman  and  half  snake,  and  possessed  of  two 
tails.  It  is  a  most  unpleasant  architectural 
decoration  and  perpetuates  the  mythical  char- 
acter of  a  local  legend.  One  is  glad  to  know 
that  it  is  not  an  emblem  personal  to  the  family 
of  the  present  owner. 

Some  kilometres  to  the  south  is  the  Tour 
Sans  Venin,  one  of  the  ancient  wonders  of 
Dauphiny,  though  it  is  little  more  than  a  single 
flank  of  wall  to-day.  The  natives,  skeptical 
when  they  first  heard  the  tale  of  Roland  the 
Paladin,  built  the  edifice  of  which  this  wall 
formed  a  part,  and  built  it  of  wonderful  stone, 


La  Grande  Chartreuse 


255 


256  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

or  earth,  warranted  to  chase  away  reptiles  and 
vermin.  Imagination,  no  doubt,  played  its  i3art, 
but  one  can  readily  enough  accept  the  proper- 
ties as  desirable  ones  for  a  building  material 
to  possess. 

Saint  Donat,  still  further  down  the  valley, 
has  hardly  a  memory  for  one  save  that  he  re- 
members having  heard  of  it  in  connection  with 
the  rather  merry  life  of  Diane  de  Poitiers.  To- 
day it  is  nothing  but  a  no-account  little  Dau- 
phinese  village.  It  is  not  even  a  railway  junc- 
tion. It  has  however  an  old  mill  built  up  out 
of  an  old  rendezvous  de  chasse  where  the  fickle 
Diane  had  more  than  one  escapade.  Like  many 
another  old  ruin  of  Dauphiny  the  Chateau  de 
Saint  Donat  is  reminiscent  of  the  local  manner 
of  building.  It  is  nothing  luxurious,  but  mass- 
ive, and,  withal,  a  seemingly  efficient  stronghold 
for  the  time  in  which  it  was  built,  or  would  have 
been  had  it  ever  been  called  upon  to  serve  its 
purpose  to  the  full.  It  seems  a  fatal  destiny 
that  a  chateau  should  be  no  longer  a  chateau, 
for  here  in  Dauphiny  no  inconsiderable  number 
of  mediaeval  dwellings  of  this  class  have  been 
turned  into  factories  of  one  sort  or  another. 
Here  in  the  salles  and  chamhres,  as  the  apart- 
ments are  still  named  on  the  spot,  are  machines 
and  workmen  spinning  silk  and  weaving  ribbons 


La  Grande  Chartreuse  257 

for  the  great  Paris  department  stores.  The 
Chambre  de  Diane,  however,  is  still  preserved 
as  a  show-place  in  much  the  same  manner  in 
which  it  was  originally  conceived.  It  is  a  cir- 
cular apartment,  rather  daringly  attached  to 
the  main  building.  A  sort  of  alcove,  or  addi- 
tion, is  built  out  into  the  open  still  further,  and 
one  only  reaches  it  by  three  steps  up  from  the 
floor.  Three  secret  doors  separate  the  sleeping 
apartment  itself  from  the  connecting  corridor. 
If  there  is  anything  of  the  sentiment  of  the  en- 
chanting huntress  Diane  hanging  about  the 
apartment  to-day  one  quite  forgets  it  by  reason 
of  its  being  drowned  out  by  the  noise  of  the 
whirring  mill-wheels  below. 

The  twentieth  century  is  far  from  the  time 
when  romance  dwelt  in  purling  brooks  or 
stalked  through  marble  halls.  '^  Other  days, 
other  ways  "  is  a  trite  saying  which  applies  as 
well  to  chateaux  as  other  things.  To-day,  in 
Dauphiny  in  particular,  a  purling  brook  or  a 
mountain  torrent  is  more  valued  for  its  "  force 
motrice  "  than  for  any  other  virtues,  and  a  cha- 
teau that  can  be  readily  transformed  into  a  silk- 
mill  is  a  better  business  proposition  than  would 
be  its  value  as  a  ruin.  This  is  the  practical,  if 
sad,  point  of  view. 

There  are  no  coal  mines  in  Dauphiny,  but  the 


258  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

houille  blanche,  as  the  French  call  water-power, 
is  a  product  highly  valued.  Sentiment  and 
romance  are  apt  to  be  little  valued  in  compar- 
ison. 


i 


CHAPTER  XVni 

ANNECY   AND   LAC    LEMAN" 

The  immediate  environs  of  the  Lac  du  Bour- 
get,  the  Lac  d'Annecy  and  the  French  shores  of 
Lac  Leman,  —  more  popularly  known  to  the 
world  of  tourism  as  the  Lake  of  Geneva  —  offer 
a  succession  of  picturesque  sights  and  scenes, 
presented  always  with  a  historic  accompaniment 
that  few  who  have  come  within  the  spell  of  their 
charms  will  ever  forget. 

It  is  not  that  these  Savoyan  lakes  are  more 
beautiful  than  any  others;  it  is  not  that  they 
are  grander ;  nor  is  it  that  they  are  particularly 
*'  unspoiled,"  considering  them  from  a  certain 
point  of  view,  for  in  the  season  they  are  very 
much  visited  by  the  French  themselves  and 
loved  accordingly.  The  charm  which  makes 
them  so  attractive  lies  in  the  blend  of  the  his- 
toric past  with  the  modernity  of  the  twentieth 
century.  The  melange  is  less  offensive  here 
than  in  most  other  places,  and  their  contrasting 
of  the  old  and  the  new,  the  historic  and  the  ro- 

259 


260  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

mantic,  with  the  modern  ways  and  means  of 
travel  and  accessibility,  gives  this  mountain 
lakeland  an  unusual  appeal. 

On  almost  every  side  are  the  modern  appoint- 
ments of  great  hotels;  there  are  "  good  roads  " 
everywhere  for  the  automobilist,  and  the  main 
lines  of  railway  crossing  France  to  Italy  give 
an  accessibility  and  comfortable  manner  of 
approach  which  is  not  excelled  by  the  region  of 
the  Swiss  and  Italian  lakes  themselves. 

Annecy,  the  metropolis  of  these  parts,  has  an 
old  chateau  that  is  much  better  conserved  than 
that  of  Chambery  so  far  as  the  presentation  of 
it  as  a  whole  is  concerned.  It  is  more  nearly  a 
perfect  unit,  and  less  of  a  conglomerate  restora- 
tion than  the  former. 

The  Chateau  d'Annecy  was  the  ancient  resi- 
dence of  the  Comtes  de  Genevois,  but  in  1401 
the  seigniory  passed  to  the  house  of  Savoy. 
Robert  de  Geneve,  known  to  ecclesiastical  his- 
tory as  Pope  Clement  VII,  the  first  of  the  Avi- 
gnon Popes,  was  born  here  in  134:2. 

The  military  history  of  the  Chateau  d'An- 
necy is  intimately  bound  up  with  that  of  the 
town  because  of  the  fact  that  as  a  matter  of  pro- 
tection the  first  settlement  grouped  itself  con- 
fidingly around  the  walls  which  sheltered  the 
seigneurial  presence.    Populace  and  the  guar- 


Annecy  and  Lac  Leman  261 

dians  of  the  chateau  together  were  thus  enabled 
to  throw  off  the  troops  which  turned  back  on 
Annecy  after  the  defeat  at  Conflans  in  1537,  but 
no  resistance  whatever  was  made  to  Henri  IV 
and  his  followers,  who  entered  without  a  blow 
being  dealt,  and  "  found  the  inhabitants  agi'ee- 
able  and  warm  of  welcome."  This  was  perhaps 
a  matter  of  mood;  it  might  not  have  so  hap- 
pened the  day  before  or  the  day  after,  but 
their  cordiality  was  certainly  to  the  credit  of  all 
concerned  from  a  humane  point  of  view,  what- 
ever devotees  of  the  war-game  may  think. 

In  1630  Comte  Louis  de  Sales  commanded  the 
chateau  when  the  Marechal  de  Chatillon 
marched  against  it.  The  besieged  made  a  stiff 
fight  and  only  capitulated  after  being  able  to 
make  such  terms  as  practically  turned  defeat 
into  victory.  On  the  morrow  the  Oomte  de 
Sales  escorted  his  troops  to  the  Chateau  de 
Conflans,  "  with  all  the  honours  of  war." 

After  a  brilliant  career  of  centuries  the  an- 
cient residence  of  the  Comtes  de  Genevois,  and 
the  Princes  de  Savoie-Xemours  who  came  after, 
has  become  a  barracks  for  a  battalion  of  Chas- 
seurs Alpins.  Fortunately  for  the  aesthetic  pro- 
prieties, it  has  lost  nothing  of  its  seigneurial 
aspect  of  old  as  have  so  many  of  its  contempo- 
raries when  put  to  a  similar  use. 


262  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Eeally,  Annecy's  chateau,  its  well  lined  walls, 
its  ramparts  and  towers,  and  above  all,  its  situ- 
ation, close  to  the  water's  edge,  where  the  en- 
semble of  its  fabric  mingles  so  well  with  artis- 
tically disposed  foreground,  has  an  appeal  pos- 
sessed by  but  few  structures  of  its  class. 

If  one  would  see  the  town  and  lake  of  Annecy 
at  their  best  they  should  be  viewed  of  a  Sep- 
tember afternoon,  when  the  oblique  rays  of  the 
autumn  sun  first  begin  to  gild  the  heavy  square 
towers  of  the  ancient  chateau  of  the  Dues  de 
Nemours.  Behind  rise  the  roofs  and  spires  of 
the  town  set  off  with  the  reddish  golden  leaves 
of  the  chestnuts  of  La  Puya.  All  is  a  blend  of 
the  warm  colouring  of  the  southland  with  the 
sterner,  more  angular  outlines  of  the  north. 
The  contrasting  effect  is  to  be  remarked.  To 
the  left,  regarding  the  town  from  the  water's 
edge,  or  better  yet  from  a  boat  upon  the  lake, 
rises  the  Villa  de  la  Tour,  where  died  Eugene 
Sue ;  and  farther  away  the  Grange  du  Hameau 
de  Chavoires,  where  lingered  for  a  time  Jean 
Jacques  Rousseau.  All  around,  through  the 
chestnut  woods,  are  scattered  glistening  villas 
and  manoirs  and  granges,  with,  away  off  in  the 
distance,  the  towering  walls  of  the  feudal  Cha- 
teau de  Saint  Bernard. 

Another  marvellous  silhouette  to  be  had  from 


Annecy  and  Lac  Leman  263 

the  bosom  of  the  lake  is  midway  along  the  west- 
ern shore,  where  the  ramparts  of  Tournette  and 
the  crenelated  walls  of  the  Dents  du  Lanfont 
and  Charbonne  are,  after  midday,  lighted  up 
as  with  yellow  fire.  The  brown  and  yellow  roof 
and  fagade  of  an  old  Benedictine  convent,  now 
become  a  hotel,  rise  above  the  verdure  of  the 
foreshore,  and  the  whole  is  as  tranquil  as  if  the 
twentieth  century  were  yet  to  be  born. 

On  the  opposite  shore  of  the  lake  is  the  Cha- 
teau de  Duingt,  with  its  white  towers  piercing 
the  sky  in  quite  the  idyllic  manner. 

The  Chateau  de  Duingt  is  a  pretentious  coun- 
try residence  belonging  to  the  Genevois  family 
which  in  the  seventeenth  century  gave  a  bishop 
to  the  neighbourhood,  a  bishop,  it  is  true,  who 
was  excommunicated  and  shorn  of  all  his  rights 
by  the  Comte  de  Savoie,  Amadee  V,  but  a 
bishop  nevertheless. 

The  environs  of  the  Lac  d 'Annecy  have  ever 
been  a  retreat  for  litterateurs  and  artist  folk. 
Ernest  Eenan  lodged  here  in  the  hotellerie  of 
the  famous  Abbey,  where  he  occupied  a  chamhre 
de  prieur.  Jose-Maria  Heredia  came  here  in 
company  with  Taine ;  Ferdinand  Fabre  passed 
many  months  here  in  an  isolated  little  house  on 
the  very  shores  of  the  lake;  Albert  Besnard, 
the  painter,  has  recently  built  a  studio  here, 


264  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

and  a  quaint  and  altogether  charming  viUa; 
Paul  Chabas,  too,  has  resorted  hither  recently 
for  the  same  purpose,  and  indeed  scores  have 
found  out  this  accessible  but  tranquil  little 
corner  of  Savoy.  Another  Parisian,  a  Mon- 
sieur Noblemaire,  has  acquired  the  picturesque 
Savoyard  Manoir  de  Thoron,  built  sometime 
during  the  seventeenth  century,  and  lives  in- 
deed the  life  of  a  noble  under  the  old  regime 
amid  the  very  same  luxuriant  and  agreeable 
surroundings. 

Faverges,  at  the  lower  end  of  the  Lac  d'An- 
necy,  backed  up  by  the  sombre  Foret  de  Dous- 
sard,  and  in  plain  view  of  the  snowy  top  of 
Mont  Blanc  off  to  the  eastward,  is  at  once  a 
ville  industrielle  and  a  reminiscent  old  feudal 
town.  Its  interest  is  the  more  entrancing  be- 
cause of  the  contrasting  elements  which  go  to 
make  up  its  architectural  aspect  and  the  life 
of  its  present  day  inhabitants.  A  mediaeval  cha- 
teau elbows  a  modern  silk  factory,  and  the  idle 
gossip  of  the  workers  as  they  take  their  little 
walks  abroad  on  the  little  Place  blends 
strangely  enough  with  the  amorous  escapades 
of  Henri  IV  which  still  live  in  local  legend. 

On  the  road  from  Faverges  to  Thone,  by  the 
switch-back  mountain  road,  following  the  valley 
of  the  Fier,  is  the  Manoir  de  la  Tour,  where 


I 


Annecy  and  Lac  Leman  2G5 

on  a  fine  mid-suumier  morning  in  1730  Jean 
Jacques  Rousseau  climbed  a  cherry  tree  and 
bombarded  the  coquettish  Mademoiselle  Graf- 
feny  and  Mademoiselle  Galley  with  the  rich, 
ripe  —  not  overripe  —  fruit.  We  know  this  be- 
cause Jean  Jacques  himself  said  so,  and  for 
that  reason  this  little  human  note  makes  a  pil- 
grimage hither  the  pleasurable  occuiDation  that 
it  is.  The  fine  old  manor  is  still  intact.  But 
the  cherry  tree?  No  one  knows.  May  be  it 
was  a  mythical  cherry  tree  like  that  of  the 
George  TTashington  legend.  In  spite  of  this  the 
guardian  will  show  visitors  many  cherry  trees, 
and  one  may  take  his  choice. 

Lac  Leman  is  commonly  thought  a  Swiss 
lake,  as  is  Mont  Blanc  usually  referred  to  as  a 
Swiss  mountain  —  which  it  isn't.  A  good  third 
of  the  shore  line  of  Lac  Leman  is  French  — 
"  Leman  Frangais,"  it  is  called. 

Practically  the  whole  southern,  or  French, 
shore  of  the  Lake  of  Geneva  —  or  Lake  Leman, 
as  we  had  best  think  of  it  since  it  is  thus  known 
to  European  geographers  —  is  replete  with  a 
fascinating  appeal  which  the  Swiss  shore  en- 
tirely lacks.  It  is  difficult  to  explain  this,  but 
it  is  a  fact. 

The  region  literally  bristles  with  old  castle 
walls  and  donjons,  though  their  histories  have 


266  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

not  in  every  instance  been  preserved,  nor  have 
they  always  been  so  momentous  as  to  have  im- 
pressed themselves  vividly  in  the  minds  of  the 
general  reader  or  the  conventional  traveller. 
Perhaps  they  are  all  the  more  charming  for 
that.    The  writer  thinks  they  are. 

Mont  Blanc  dominates  the  entire  region  on 
the  east,  and  may  be  considered  the  good  genius 
of  Savoy  and  Upper  Dauphiny,  as  it  is  of 
French-speaking  Switzerland  and  the  high  Al- 
pine valleys  of  Italy. 

The  French  shore  of  Lac  Leman,  the  Departe- 
ment  of  Haute-Savoie,  is  cut  off  from  Geneva 
by  the  neutral  Pays  de  Gex,  and  from  Switzer- 
land on  the  east  by  the  torrent  of  the  Morge, 
just  beyond  Saint  Gingolph.  For  fifty-two  kilo- 
metres stretches  this  French  shore,  or  the 
''  Cote  de  la  Savoie  "  as  the  Swiss  call  it,  and 
its  whole  extent  is  as  romantic  and  fair  a  land 
as  it  is  possible  to  conceive. 

One  may  come  from  Geneva  by  boat;  that 
indeed  is  the  ideal  way  to  make  one's  entrance 
to  Haute  Savoie,  unless  one  rolls  in  over  the 
superb  roads  comfortably  ensconced  on  the  soft 
cushions  of  a  luxurious  automobile,  a  procedure 
which  is  commonly  thought  to  be  unromantic, 
but  which,  it  is  the  belief  of  the  writer,  is  the 
only  way  of  knowing  well  the  highways  and 


Annecy  and  Lac  Leman  267 

byways  of  a  beloved  laud,  always  excepting, 
of  course,  the  ideal  method  of  walkiug.  Not 
mauy  will  undertake  the  latter,  least  of  all  the 
stranger  tourist,  who,  perforce,  is  hurried  on 
his  way  by  insistent  conditions  over  which  he 
really  has  but  little  control.  Walkiug  tours 
have  been  made  with  pleasure  and  profit  in 
Switzerland  before  now ;  the  suggestion  is  made 
that  the  thing  be  attempted  on  the  "  Cote  de 
la  Savoie  "  sometime  and  see  what  happens. 

One  should  leave  the  Geneva  boat  at  Her- 
mance,  the  last  Swiss  station  on  the  west.  Af- 
ter that,  one  is  on  French  soil.  Touges  is  a 
simple  landing  place,  but  rising  high  above  the 
greenswarded  banks  are  the  donjon  and  im- 
posing gables  of  the  Chateau  de  Beauregard 
belonging  to  the  Marquis  Leon  Costa.  It  is  in 
a  perfect  state  of  conservation.  It  was  here 
that  was  born,  in  1752,  Marquis  Joseph  Costa, 
a  celebrated  historian,  whose  fame  rests  prin- 
cipally on  a  work  entitled  ''  Comment  I'Educa- 
tion  des  Femmes  Peut-elle  Eendre  les  Hommes 
Meilleurs?  "  This  is  considered  an  all-absorb- 
ing question  even  to-day. 

At  Nernier  is  a  charming  souvenir  of  La- 
martine.  It  was  here  he  lodged  in  1815,  in  a 
humble  thatched  cottage  —  one  of  the  few  in 
France,  one  fancies,  as  they  are  seldom  seen  — 


268  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

at  a  franc  a  day,  ''  la  table  et  le  convert  com- 
pris."  There  are  some  artists  and  literary  folk 
living  cheaply  in  France  to-day,  but  the  pension 
is  not  nearly  as  ban  marche  as  that. 

A  little  farther  on,  beyond  the  green  hillside 
of  Boisy,  is  the  tiny  Savoyan  city  of  Yvoire, 
with  a  great  square  mass  of  an  old  chateau,  now 
moss-grown  and  more  or  less  crumbled  with 
age. 

Near-by  are  Excevenex,  Sciez  and  the  mag- 
nificently environed  Chateau  de  Coudree,  sur- 
rounded by  a  leafy  park,  a  veritable  royal  do- 
main in  aspect. 

Back  a  few  kilometres  from  the  shore  of  the 
lake  is  Douvaine,  about  midway  between  Ge- 
neva and  Thonon.  Here  is  the  ancient  Chateau 
de  Troches,  on  the  very  limits  of  the  Comte  de 
Genevois,  to  the  seigneurs  of  which  house  it  for- 
merly belonged.  It  served  many  times  as  the 
meeting  place  of  the  Princes  of  Savoy,  and  has 
been  frequently  cited  in  the  historical  chron- 
icles. 

In  1682  Victor  Amadee  II  made  Troches  and 
Douvaine  a  barony  in  favour  of  Frangois 
Marie  Antoine  Passerat,  whose  family  were 
originally  of  Lucca  in  Italy.  The  descendants 
of  the  same  family  have  held  the  property  until 
very  recent  times,  perhaps  hold  it  to-day. 


Annecy  and  Lac  Leman  269 

Throughout  this  region  of  the  Chablais,  as 
it  is  known,  on  towards  Thonon,  and  beyond, 
are  numerous  well  preserved  chateaux  {cha- 
teaux debout  the  French  appropriately  call 
them  in  distinction  to  the  ruined  chateaux  which 
abound  in  even  greater  nmnbers),  and  others, 
here  and  there  arising  a  crumbled  wall  or  tower 
above  the  dense  foliage  of  the  hillsides  round 
about.  Certain  of  these  old  manors  and  cha- 
teaux of  the  Genevois,  the  Chablais  and  Fau- 
cigny  have,  in  recent  years,  after  centuries  of 
comparative  ruin,  taken  on  new  life  as  country 
houses  and  ''  villas  "  of  commoners  —  as  sad  a 
fall  for  a  proud  chateau  as  to  become  a  barracks 
or  a  poorhouse  if  the  transformations  have  not 
been  undertaken  in  good  taste.  Still  others 
remain  at  least  as  undefiled  memories  of  the 
chateaux  orgueilleux  of  other  days.  A  remod- 
elled, restored  chateau  of  the  middle  ages  may 
be  sympathetic  and  appealing,  but  the  work 
must  be  well  done  and  all  art  nouveau  instincts 
suppressed. 

There  are  other  examples  which  have  been 
allowed  to  tumble  to  actual  ruin,  mere  heaps 
of  stones  without  form  or  outline,  and  others, 
like  Allinges.  La  Rochette,  De  la  Roche  and 
Faucigny,  possessing  only  a  crumbling  tower 
perched  upon   a  height  which  dominates  the 


270  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

valley  and  the  plain  below  and  tell  only  the 
story  of  their  former  greatness  by  suggestion. 
Chiefly  however  these  can  be  classed  as  notliing 
more  pretentious  than  ruins. 

Thonon-les-Bains,  midway  along  the  extent 
of  the  French  shore,  is  renowned  as  a  ''  ville 
cVeau."  In  all  ways  it  quite  rivals  many  of 
the  Swiss  stations  on  the  opposite  shore.  It  sits 
high  on  a  sheaf  of  rock,  the  first  buttresses  of 
the  Alps,  and  enjoys  a  wide- spread  view  extend- 
ing to  the  other  shore,  and  beyond  to  the  Swiss 
Jura  and  the  Bernese  Oberland. 

A  dainty  esj^lanade  shaded  with  lindens  is 
the  chief  thoroughfare  and  centre  of  life  of  this 
attractive  little  lakeside  resort.  Here  once 
stood  an  old  chateau  of  the  Dues  de  Savoie. 
The  court  frequently  repaired  thither  because 
of  the  purity  of  the  air  and  the  altogether  de- 
lightful surroundings.  It  was  one  of  the  later 
line  of  dukes  who  exploited  the  mineral  springs 
which  have  given  Thonon  its  latter-day  renown. 

Back  of  Thonon  rises  a  curiously  disposed 
table-land  known  as  the  Colline  des  Allinges.  It 
alternates  bare  rock  with  a  heather-like  vege- 
tation in  a  colouring  as  wonderful  as  any  ar- 
tist's palette  could  conceive.  The  ruins  of  two 
fortress-chateaux  crown  the  height  of  the  pla- 
teau, one  coming  down  from  a  period  of  great 


Annecy  and  Lac  Leman  271 

antiquity,  whilst  the  other  is  of  more  recent 
date,  with  a  well  preserved  portal  and  a  draw- 
bridge. Within  the  precincts  of  this  latter  are 
still  to  be  seen  the  ruins  of  a  chapel  rich  in 
memories  of  Saint  FrauQois-de-Sales,  who 
spent  a  considerable  part  of  his  apostleship 
here  in  the  Chablais.  To-day,  the  old  chateau 
and  its  chapel  are  a  place  of  pious  pilgrimage, 
but  with  the  piety  left  out  it  is  the  chief  and 
most  popular  excursion  for  mere  sight-seers 
coming  out  from  Tlionon.  This  mere  fact  does 
not,  however,  detract  from  its  historic,  religious 
and  romantic  significance,  so  let  no  one  omit  it 
for  that  reason. 

The  Chateau  de  Ripaille,  beyond  Thonon 
towards  Evian,  is  a  grander  shrine  by  far.  It 
was  the  retreat  of  a  Due  de  Savoie  who  was 
finally  withdrawn  from  his  hiding  place  that 
he  might  be  crowned  with  the  papal  tiara.  The 
incident  is  historically  authenticated,  and  the- 
very  substantial  remains  of  the  old  chateau 
to-day  —  monumental  even  —  make  it  one  of 
the  most  interesting  shrines  of  its  class  in  all 
France. 

The  Chateau  de  Eipaille  was  originally  built 
by  Amadee  VIII  as  a  rendez-vous  de  cliasse. 
*'  N'ear  the  Couvent  des  Augustins  he  built  him- 
self a  chateau  of  seven  rooms  and  seven  towers, 


272  Casties  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

after  the  death  of  his  wife,  Marie  de  Bour- 
gogne,  in  1434,"  say  the  chronicles. 

Here  Amadee  shut  himself  up  with  six 
fellowmen,  either  widowers  or  celibates,  who 
formed  his  sole  counsellors  and  society.  The 
Council  of  Bale  of  1439  sent  the  Cardinal 
d 'Aries  and  twenty-five  prelates  to  offer  the 
self-deposed  monarch  the  papal  crown.  The 
attractions  of  the  position,  or  the  inducements 
offered,  were  seemingly  too  great  to  be  resisted, 
and,  as  Felix  V,  he  was  made  Pontiff  in  the 
Eglise  de  Eipaille  in  the  same  year. 

Soon  the  cramped  quarters  of  the  chateau 
and  all  the  town  were  filled  with  a  splendid 
pageant  of  ambassadors,  prelates  and  digni- 
taries. All  were  anxious  to  salute  in  person 
the  new  head  of  the  Church.  France,  England, 
Castile,  the  Swiss  Cantons,  Austria,  Bohemia, 
Savoy  and  Piedmont  recognized  the  new  Pope, 
but  the  rest  of  Christendom  remained  faithful 
to  Eugene  IV.  Eipaille  and  Thonon  received 
such  an  influx  of  celebrities  as  it  had  never 
known  before,  nor  since. 

The  towered  and  buttressed  walls  remain  in 
evidence  to-day,  but  within  all  is  hollow  as  a 
sepulchre.  The  great  portal  by  which  one 
passed  from  the  chapel  to  the  dwelling  is  mon- 
umental from  every  point  of  view.     "What  it 


Annecy  and  Lac  Leman  273 

lacks  in  architectural  excellence  it  makes  up 
in  its  imposing  proportions,  and  moreover  pos- 
sesses an  individual  note  which  is  rare  in  mod- 
ern works  of  a  similar  nature. 

The  chief  centre  after  Thonon,  going  east, 
is  Vivian,  with  which  most  travellers  in  France 
are  familiar  only  as  a  name  on  the  label  on  the 
bottle  of  the  most  excellent  mineral  water  on 
sale  in  the  hotels  and  restaurants.  The  "  Eau 
d'fivian  "  is  about  the  only  table  water  uni- 
versally sold  in  Europe  that  isn't  *'  fizzy,"  and 
is  accordingly  popular  —  and  expensive. 

]£vian,  sitting  snug  under  the  flank  of  Mont 
Benant,  a  four  thousand  foot  peak,  its  shore 
front  dotted  with  little  latteen-rigged,  swallow- 
sailed  boats  is  the  ''  Biarritz  de  Lac  Leman," 
but  a  Biarritz  framed  with  a  luxuriant  vegeta- 
tion, whereas  its  Basque  prototype  is,  in  this 
respect,  its  antithesis. 

Twenty  thousand  visitors  come  to  fivian 
'*  for  the  waters  "  each  year  now,  but  in  1840, 
when  the  delightful  Tapffer  wrote  his  '*  Voy- 
ages en  Zig  Zag,"  it  was  difficult  for  his  joyous 
band  of  students  to  find  the  change  for  a  hun- 
dred franc  note.  Aside  from  its  fame  as  a 
watering-place  fivian  has  no  little  architectural 
charm. 

The   waters   of  fivian   and   their  medicinal 


274  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

properties  were  discovered  by  a  local  hermit 
of  the  fifteenth  century  who  loved  the  daughter 
of  the  neighbouring  Baron  de  la  Rochette.  This 
daughter,  Beatrix,  also  loved  the  hermit,  all  in 
quite  conventional  fashion,  as  real  love  affairs 
go,  but  the  obscure  origin  of  the  young  man 
was  no  passport  to  the  good  graces  of  the  young 
lady's  noble  father,  who  had  fallen  ill  with  the 
gout  or  some  other  malady  of  high  living  and 
was  more  irascible  than  stern  parents  usually 
are. 

So  acute  was  the  old  man's  malady  that  he 
caused  it  to  be  heralded  afar  that  he  would  give 
his  daughter  in  marriage  to  him  who  would 
effect  a  cure.  This  was  a  new  phase  of  the 
marriage  market  up  to  that  time,  but  the  her- 
mit, Arnold,  at  a  venture,  suggested  to  the 
baron  that  he  had  but  to  bathe  in  the  alkaline 
waters  of  £}vian  to  be  cured  of  all  his  real  or 
imaginary  ills.  The  miraculous,  or  curative, 
properties  of  the  waters,  or  whatever  it  was, 
did  their  work,  and  the  lovers  were  united,  and 
the  smiling  little  city  of  Evian  on  the  shores  of 
Lac  Leman  has  progressed  and  prospered  ever 
since. 

The  origin  of  Evian  is  lost  in  the  darkness  of 
time,  though  its  nomenclature  is  supposed  to 
have  descended  from  the  ancient  patois  Evoua 


Annecy  and  Lac  Leman  275 

(water),  which  the  Komaus,  who  came  loug  be- 
fore the  present  crop  of  flighty  tourists,  trans- 
hited  as  Aquianum.  From  this  one  gathers  that 
£vian  is  historic.  And  it  is,  as  much  so  as  most 
cities  who  claim  an  antique  ancestry.  From  the 
thirteenth  century  £vian  possessed  its  chateau- 
fort,  surrounded  by  its  sturdy  bulwarks  and  a 
moat.  Some  vestiges  still  remain  of  this  first 
fortification,  but  the  wars  between  the  Dauphin 
of  the  Viennois  and  the  Comtes  de  Genevois 
necessitated  still  stronger  ones,  which  were 
built  under  Amadee  V  and  Amadee  VI. 

Within  the  confines  of  the  town  are  three  dis- 
tinctly defined  structures  which  may  be  classed 
as  mediaeval  chateaux :  the  Chateau  de  Blonay, 
the  Tour  de  Fonbonne,  and  the  Manoir  Gribaldi, 
belonging  to  the  Archbishops  of  Vienne.  This 
last  has  been  stuccoed  and  whitewashed  in  out- 
rageous fashion,  so  that  unless  the  rigours  of  a 
hard  winter  have  softened  its  violent  colour- 
ing, it  is  to-day  as  crude  and  unlovely  as  a  stage 
setting  seen  in  broad  daylight.  It  has  more- 
over been  incorporated  into  the  great  palatial 
hotel  which,  next  to  the  more  splendid  Hotel 
Splendid  on  the  height,  is  the  chief  landmark 
seen  from  afar.    Sic  transit! 

]£\aan's  parish  church,  capped  with  an  enor- 
mous tower,  is  most  curious.     A  gi*eat  Place, 


276  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

or  Square,  lias  been  formed  out  of  the  ancient 
lands  of  the  Seigneurie  of  Blonay,  which  be- 
longed to  Baron  Louis  de  Blonay,  Yice-Eoi  de 
Sardaigne.  The  seigneurial  residence  itself  has 
been  transformed,  basely  enough,  one  thinks, 
into  a  casino  and  theatre,  with  an  art  nouveau 
fagade.  Xot  often  does  such  a  debasement  of 
a  historic  shrine  take  place  in  France  to-day. 
Sometimes  a  fine  old  Gothic  or  Renaissance 
house  will  disappear  altogether,  and  sometimes 
a  chateau,  a  donjon  or  even  a  church  may  be 
turned  to  unlikely  public  uses,  such  as  a  hos- 
pital, a  prison  or  a  barracks.  This  is  bad 
enough,  but  for  an  historic  monument  to  be 
turned  into  a  music  hall  and  a  gambling  room 
seems  the  basest  of  desecration.  That's  a  great 
deal  against  Evian,  but  it  must  stand. 

Another  property  once  belonging  to  the  same 
proprietor,  and  known  as  the  Manoir  de  Blonay, 
a  name  continually  recurring  in  the  annals  of 
the  Chablais,  is  to  be  noted  beyond  the  town, 
near  the  little  village  of  Maxilly. 

Beyond  Evian  is  "La  Tour  Eonde,"  a  name 
given  to  a  structure  on  the  edge  of  the  lake. 
The  nomenclature  explains  itself.  A  disman- 
tled donjon  of  the  conventional  build  rises  grim 
and  militant  among  a  serried  row  of  coquettish 
villas,  chalets  and  hotels,  but  uncouth  as  it  is, 


Annecy  and  Lac  Leman  277 

using  the  word  in  a  liberal  sense,  it  forms  a 
contrasting  note  which  redounds  to  its  benefit 
as  compared  with  the  latest  craze  for  fantastic 
building  which  has  been  incorporated  into  many 
of  the  houses  which  line  the  shores  of  the  lake. 
Your  modern  tourist  often  cares  as  much  for 
an  armoured  cement,  green  tiled  villa  with  a 
plaster  cat  on  its  ridge  pole  as  he  does  for  a 
great  square  manoir  of  classic  outline,  or  a 
donjon  with  a  cliemin  de  rond  at  its  sky  line 
and  a  half-lowered  portcullis  at  its  entrance. 

Meillerie,  just  beyond  the  Tour  Ronde,  is  ever 
under  the  glamour  cast  over  it  by  Jean  Jacques 
Eousseau.  A  souvenir  of  the  hero  of  '*  La 
Xouvelle  Heloise  "  is  here,  the  vestiges  of  the 
grotto  where  Saint  Preux  sought  a  refuge.  As 
a  sight  it  may  compare  favourably  with  other 
grottos  of  its  class,  but  that  is  not  saying  that 
it  is  ami;hing  remarkable. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

THE   MOUNTAIN   BACKGKOUXD    OF   SAVOY 

**  La  Savoie,"  say  the  French,  is  ''  La  Suisse 
Frangaise,"  and  indeed  it  is,  as  anyone  can  see 
and  appreciate.  With  respect  to  topography, 
climate  and  nearly  all  else  this  is  true.  And 
its  historic  souvenirs,  if  sometimes  less  roman- 
tic, are  more  definite  and  far  more  interesting, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  sentimentally  in- 
clined have  not  as  yet  overrun  the  region;  it 
may  with  confidence  be  said  that  they  have  not 
even  discovered  it. 

The  amalgamation  of  Savoy  with  France  was 
fortunate  for  all  concerned.  As  President 
Carnot  said,  when  on  a  speech-making  tour 
through  the  region  in  1892 :  ' '  Can  any  of  us 
without  emotion  recall  those  memorable  days 
when  the  Convention  received  the  people  of  this 
province  with  the  welcome:  '  Generous  Savoy- 
ards !  In  you  we  cherish  friends  and  brothers ; 
never  more  shall  you  be  separated  from  us.'  " 
Savoy  was  ever  more  French  in  spirit  than 
Italian  in  spite  of  its  variable  alliances. 

278 


Mountain  Background  of  Savoy     279 


Leaving  the  resorts  like  Aix-les-Bains,  An- 
uecy  aud  Evian  behind,  and  following  the  tur- 
bulent Isere  to  its  icy  cradle  beneath  the 
haunches  of  Mont  Saint  Bernard,  one  may  lit- 
erally leave  the  well-worn  travel  track  behind, 
the  railway  itself  striking  off  Italy-wards  via  a 
gap  in  the  mountain  chain  to  the  southeast, 


f;^    >Scur?sr 


LES     BAUGES 


* ;  i  . .  >  .  1 1 


where  it  ultimately  burrows  through  the  massif 
of  the  chain  of  which  Mont  Cenis  forms  the 
most  notable  peak. 

Just  at  the  confines  of  Dauphiny  and  Savoy 
the  Isere  sweeps  majestically  around  the  fore- 
foot of  the  fortress  of  Montmelian,  which 
guards  the  mountain  gateway  to  the  snowbound 
upper  valleys.  Montmelian  can  be  seen  from  a 
great  distance;  from  a  great  distance  even  one 
mav  imagine  that  he  hears  the  echoes  of  the 


280  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

cries  of  the  victims  of  the  cruel  Seigneurs  de 
Montmelian  who  once  hved  within  its  walls. 
Their  barbarous  acts  were  many,  and  historic 
facts,  not  merely  legendary  tales,  perpetuate 
them.  It  is  the  knowledge  that  such  things  once 
existed  that  makes  the  suggestion  of  course,  but 
these  are  the  emotions  one  usually  likes  to  have 
nourished  when  viewing  a  mediaeval  castle. 


Montmelian 's  chateau- fort  played  a  very  im- 
portant role  in  the  history  of  Savoy.  It  was 
one  of  the  finest  fortresses  of  the  States  of  Sa- 
voy, and  was  the  chief  point  of  attack  of  Fran- 
cois Premier,  who,  in  1535,  succeeded  finally  in 
taking  it,  but  by  treason  from  within.  The 
French  from  the  moment  of  their  occupation 
gave  it  a  heav}^  garrison,  and  Henri  II  still 
further  strengthened  its  massive  walls,  as  did 


Mountain  Background  of  Savoy     281 


also  Henri  IV  later  ou.  He  called  it  "  a  mar- 
vellously strong  place;  a  stronger  one  has 
never  yet  been  seen. ' ' 

In  Montmelian's  proud  fortress-chateau,  also, 
were  born  Amadee  III  and  Aniadee  IV,  Princes 
of  Savoy.  Once  it  was  considered,  and  with 
reason  apparently,  the  strongest  fortress  of 
Savoy,  and  was  for  ages  the  wall  against  which 
the  Viennois  Dauphins  battled  vainly.  Treason 
opened  its  doors  to  Frangois  Premier  and  trea- 
son delivered  it  to  Henri  IV.  This  last  giving 
over  of  the  chateau  was  brought  about  by  the 
wife  of  Sully,  who  by  "  sweet  insinuations  " 
got  into  the  good  graces  of  the  wife  of  Brandes, 
the  governor,  and  between  them  planned  to  win 
him  over. 

In  1690  it  was  again  attacked  and  taken  by 
the  French,  costing  them  the  bagatelle  of  eight 
thousand  men,  for  lives  were  cheap  in  those 
days  compared  to  castles.  It  was  a  hollow  vic- 
tory, too,  for  the  French,  for  they  marched  out 
again  after  the  Peace  of  Kyswick. 

In  the  early  years  of  the  eighteenth  century 
the  French  again  came  into  possession  and  im- 
mediately began  the  work  of  demolishing  the 
defensive  walls,  leaving  only  the  residential 
chateau,  that  which  in  its  emasculated  form 
exists    to-day.      Thus    disappeared    from    the 


282  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

scene,  said  the  celebrated  historian,  Leon  Mena- 
brea,  a  fortress  to  whose  annals  are  attached 
the  names  most  grand  and  the  events  most  im- 
portant in  Savoyan  history. 

The  Montmayeurs,  the  feudal  family  which 
first  made  Montmelian  its  stronghold,  have  left 
a  vivid  and  imperishable  memory  in  the  annals 
of  Savoy.  They  were  a  warlike  race  to  begin 
with,  and  bore  the  eagle  and  the  motto 
UxGriBus  ET  EosTEO  in  their  family  arms. 

Legend  recounts  that  the  last  of  the  sei- 
gneurs, having  lost  a  case  at  law,  invited  the 
president  of  the  court,  one  Fesigny,  to  din- 
ner. Either  before,  or  after,  he  cut  off  the 
judge's  head,  enclosed  it  in  a  sack  bearing  a 
label  which  read:  "  Here  is  a  new  piece  of 
evidence  for  the  court  to  digest, ' '  and  deposited 
it  on  the  public  highway  circling  below  the 
rocky  foundations  of  Montmelian.  This  epi- 
sode took  place  in  1465,  and  the  ignoble  seigneur 
naturally  fled  the  country  immediately.  His 
reputation  has  ever  lived  after  him  in  the  re- 
gion where  the  historic  fact,  or  legend,  of  the 
^'  Dernier  des  Montmayeurs  "  is  still  current. 

Near  the  rock-cradled  chateau  of  Montme- 
lian is  La  Eochette;  there  one  sees  the  vast 
remains  of  a  chateau  which  was  overthrown  by 
Louis  XIIL    This  chateau,  called  also  the  Cha- 


Mountain  Background  of  Savoy     283 

teau  des  Hulls,  occupies  one  of  the  most  stri- 
kingly imposing  sites  imaginable,  and  only  in 
a  lesser  degree  than  Montmelian  presents  all 
the  qualities  which  one  would  naturally  suppose 
to  be  necessary  in  order  to  make  such  a  work 
impregnable.  It  was  heroically  defended  by 
Pierre  de  la  Chambre,  but  the  defence  availed 
nothing,  and  now  what  is  left  has  been  built  up 
into  —  of  all  things  —  a  silk-mill.  Its  outlines 
might  well  be  that  of  a  mediaeval  chateau  even 
now;  site  and  silhouette  each  have  this  stamp, 
and  it  will  take  little  exercise  of  the  imagination 
to  picture  the  smoke  from  its  chimneys  as  com- 
ing from  the  fires  which  may  have  been  lighted 
at  some  epoch  before  the  invention  of  the  steam 
engine.  There  is  nothing,  from  a  distant  point 
of  \^ew,  to  suggest  that  the  old  Chateau  des 
Hulls  is  the  murky,  work-a-day  hive  of  industry 
that  it  is. 

Above  Montmelian  is  Saint  Pierre  d'Albigny, 
where  rises  the  ancient  and  formidable  chateau 
of  the  Sires  de  Miolans.  In  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury it  was  a  prison  of  state  incarcerating  many 
famous  personages,  among  them  the  celebrated 
Marquis  de  Sade,  the  story  of  whose  escape 
would  make  as  thrilling  a  chapter  as  was  ever 
read  in  a  romance  of  the  cloak  and  sword 
variety.     Another  famous,  or  infamous,  pris- 


284  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

oner  was  the  unfortunate  Lavin,  the  minister 
of  finance  of  Charles-Emmanuel  III,  who  was 
imprisoned  because  of  his  fine,  but  unappre- 
ciated, talent  for  copying  bank-notes.  For 
twenty-four  years  Lavin  languished  in  the  dun- 
geons of  Miolans;  indeed  it  was  within  these 
walls  that  he  passed  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
after  becoming  of  age.  For  this  reason  Mio- 
lans may  be  called  the  Bastille  of  Savoy. 

Miolans  is  typical  of  the  middle  ages.  It  can 
be  seen,  it  is  said,  fifty  kilometres  away,  either 
up  or  down  the  Isere.  This  one  can  well  believe. 
It  can  only  be  compared  to  a  castled  burg  of 
the  Ehine  or  Meuse:  it  is  like  nothing  else  in 
modern  France.  The  great  moats  surround  it 
as  of  old,  its  drawbridge,  its  chemin-de-ronde, 
its  cachets,  dungeons  and  oubliettes  are  quite 
undespoiled,  and  its  chapel  as  bright  and  inspir- 
ing as  if  its  functions  served  to-day  as  in  the 
time  of  the  seigneurs  of  the  joint  house  of  Mio- 
lans and  Montmayeur,  a  family  one  of  the  most 
ancient  in  Savoy,  but  which  became  extinct  in 
1523. 

The  Sardinian  "government  in  1856  —  when 
Savoy  belonged  still  to  the  Crown  of  Sardinia 
—  sold  the  edifice  for  the  paltry  sum  of  five 
thousand  francs,  scarcely  more  than  the  price 
of  a  first  rate  piano.    The  buyer  preserved  and 


Mountain  Background  of  Savoy      285 

made  habitable,  in  a  way,  the  mediaeval  fabric, 
but  not  without  considerably  lessening  its 
genuine  old-time  flavour.  This  is  not  apparent 
from  afar,  and  only  to  the  expert  near  at  hand, 
so  the  castle  lives  to-day  as  one  of  the  most 
thrillingly  romantic  piles  of  its  class  in  all  the 
mountain  background  of  Savoy.  To-day  the 
castle,  for  it  is  more  a  feudal  castle  than  a  mod- 
ern chateau  after  all,  is  still  in  private  hands, 
but  no  incongruous  details  have  been  further 
incorporated  and  the  chatelain  as  lovingly  cares 
for  it  as  does  that  of  Langeais  in  Touraine, 
perhaps  the  best  restored,  and  the  best  kept, 
of  all  the  habitable  mediaeval  castles  in  the 
pleasant  land  of  France. 

In  the  time  of  the  Savoyan  dukes  each  of 
these  upper  valleys  was  deprived  of  communi- 
cation with  its  neighbours,  because  of  either 
the  utter  lack  of  roads,  or  of  their  abominable 
up-keep.  A  sort  of  petty  state  or  kingdom 
grew  up  in  many  of  these  shut-in  localities,  each 
possessing  its  individual  life,  and,  above  all, 
ecclesiastical  independence. 

The  sovereigns  of  each  had  their  own  par- 
ticular lands  and  ruled  with  velvet  glove  or 
iron  hand  as  the  mood  might  strike  them  or  the 
case  might  demand. 

Still  higher  up  above  Montmelian,  which  may 


286  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

properly  be  considered  the  barrier  between  the 
lower  and  the  upper  valleys  of  the  Tarentaise 
and  the  Maurienne,  are  scores  of  these  cha- 
teaux, as  appealing,  and  with  reason,  as  many 
more  noble  in  outline  and  record  elsewhere. 
At  Grresy  is  one  of  these;  at  Bathie  is  a  fine 
feudal  ruin  with  a  round  and  square  tower  of 
most  imposing  presence;  Blay  has  another, 
with  a  wall  surmounted  by  a  range  of  tripled 
tourelles ;  Feisons  has  yet  another,  and  a  castle 
wall  or  an  isolated  tower  is  ever  in  view  which- 
ever way  one  turns  the  head. 

The  roadway  through  Albertville  and  Mou- 
tiers  leads  into  Italy  over  the  Petit  Saint  Ber- 
nard ;  that  by  the  valley  of  the  Maurienne  over 
the  Mont  Cenis.  Here,  just  as  Lans-le-Bourg 
is  reached,  you  may  still  see  the  signboards 
along  the  road  reading:  ''  Route  Imperiale 
No.  16 :  Frontiere  Sarde  a  10  kilom. ' '  It  would 
seem  as  though  Lans-le-Bourg  had  not  yet 
heard  that  the  Empire  had  fallen,  nor  of  the 
creation  of  the  unified  Italian  Kingdom. 

Still  penetrating  toward  the  heart  of  the  Sa- 
voyan  Alps  one  soon  reaches  Albertville,  pri- 
marily a  place  of  war,  secondly  a  centre  for 
excursions  in  upper  Savoy.  This  gives  the 
modern  note.  For  that  of  mediaevalism  one  has 
to  go  outside  the  town  to  Conflans,  where  sits 


Mountain  Background  of  Savoy     287 

the  old  town  high  on  a  rocky  promontory,  with 
a  picturesque  citadel-fortress  filled  with  sou- 
venirs of  warlike  times. 

The  Chateau  du  Manuel  flanks  the  old  for- 
tress on  one  side,  and  the  garrison  barracks  of 
to-day  was  at  one  time  an  old  convent  of  Ber- 
nardins.  This  structure  of  itself  is  enough,  and 
more,  to  attract  one  thither.  It  is  built  of  red 
brick,  with  a  range  of  curiously  patterned  twin 
windows.  Besides  these  attributes  the  fau- 
bourg has  also  the  Chateau  Rouge,  another  of 
the  resting  places  of  the  Savoyan  dukes. 

The  historic  souvenirs  of  Conflans  and  its 
chateau  are  many  and  momentous.  It  defended 
the  entrance  to  the  Tarentaise,  and  was  able  to 
resist  the  terrible  battering  sieges  of  the  troops 
of  FrauQois  Premier  and  Henri  IV,  which  was 
more  than  Miolans  could  do,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  it  was  supposedly  a  more  efficient  strong- 
hold. 

The  town  itself  was  erected  into  a  Principal- 
ity in  favour  of  the  Archbishops  of  the  Taren- 
taise, and  in  1814,  following  upon  the  Treaty 
of  Paris,  which  gave  back  to  Sardinia  a  part  of 
its  estates,  the  administrative  authorities  of  Sa- 
voy took  up  their  seat  here. 

All  around  are  modem  forts  and  batteries 
only  to  be  arrived  at  by  military  roads  climbing 


288  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 


the  mountain-side  in  perilous  fashion,  but  they 
have  nothing  of  sentiment  or  romance  about 
them  and  so  one  can  only  marvel  that  such 
things  be. 

The  neighbouring  Fort  Barraux  is  one  of  the 
marvels  of  modern  fortresses,  rebuilt  out  of  an 
old  chateau-fort.  This  fortress  was  originally 
constructed  before  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury by  Charles-Emmanuel  de  Savoie,  and 
taken  over,  almost  without  a  struggle,  by  Les- 
diguieres,  almost  before  the  masons  had  fin- 
ished their  work  for  the  ducal  master. 

'*  Wait."  said  the  Marechal  to  his  king,  "  we 
will  not  be  in  a  hurry.  It  were  better  that  we 
should  have  a  finished  fortress  on  our  hands 
than  one  half  built."  And  with  a  supreme  con- 
fidence Lesdiguieres  waited  six  months  and  then 
simply  walked  up  and  '^  took  it  "  and  presented 
it  to  his  royal  master. 

At  Montvallezen-sur-Seez,  in  the  Tarentaise, 
there  existed,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  a  sort 
of  a  monkish  chateau,  at  least  it  was  a  purely 
secular  dwelling,  a  sort  of  retreat  for  the  Canon 
of  the  Hospice  of  Saint  Bernard.  It  was  built 
in  1673  by  the  Canon  Ducloz,  and  though  all 
but  the  tower  has  disappeared,  history  tells 
much  of  the  luxury  and  comfort  which  once 
found   a   place   here   in   this    "  Logement    du 


Mountain  Background  of  Savoy     289 

Vicar."  The  tower  rises  five  stories  in  height 
and  contains  a  heavy  staircase  lighted  on  each 
landing  by  a  single  window.  From  this  one 
judges  that  the  tower  must  have  been  intended 
as  a  defence  or  last  refuge  for  the  dwellers  in 
the  chateau  in  case  they  were  attacked  by  ban- 
dits or  other  evil  doers.  On  arriving  at  the 
final  floor,  the  walls  are  pierced  with  ten  win- 
dows. A  carven  tablet  reproduced  herewith 
tells  as  much  of  the  actual  history  of  the  tower 
as  is  known. 


HOC  .  opvs 

F.  F.  R  .    D    .    LOES 

DVCLOT 

CUBERNATOR 

DOM  US    .    SATI 

BERXARDI 


in  -\- 


CHAPTER   XX 


BY   THE   BANKS   OF   THE   RHONE 


The  boundary 
between  D  a  u  - 
pliiny  and  Pro- 
vence was  by  no 
means  vague;  it 
was  a  well  de- 
fined territorial 
limit,  but  in  the 
old  days,  as  with 
those  of  the  pres- 
ent, the  climatic 
and  topographic  limits  between  the  two  regions 
were  not  so  readily  defined.  The  Rhone,  the 
mightiest  of  French  rivers  when  measured  by 
the  force  and,  at  times,  the  bulk  of  its  current, 
played  a  momentous  historic  part  in  the  devel- 
opment of  all  the  region  lying  within  its  water- 
shed, and  for  that  reason  the  cities  lying  mid- 
way upon  its  banks  had  much  intercourse  one 
with  another. 

Vienne,  on  the  left  bank  of  this  swift-flowing 

290 


By  the  Banks  of  the  Rhone       291 

river,  was  the  capital  of  the  Counts  of  the  Vien- 
nois,  and  the  birthplace  of  the  earliest  of  the 
*'  native  "  Dauphins,  who  afterwards  trans- 
ferred their  seat  of  power  to  Grenoble.  For 
this  reason  it  is  obvious  that  the  history  of 
Vienne  and  that  of  the  surrounding  territory- 
was  intimately  bound  up  with  the  later  moun- 
tain province  of  Dauphiny,  whose  capital  was 
Gratianopolis. 

As  the  capital  of  this  mountain  empire 
evolved  itself  into  Grenoble,  and  the  power  of 
the  Dauphins  gradually  waned  at  Vienne, 
Comte  Humbert,  who  was  then  ruler  at  Vienne, 
transferred  his  sceptre  to  the  heir  of  Philippe 
de  Valois  who  built  his  palace  in  the  ancient 
mountain  stronghold  of  the  Romans  in  prefer- 
ence to  continuing  the  seat  of  governmental  dig- 
nity and  rule  by  the  banks  of  the  mighty  Rhone. 

From  this  one  gathers,  and  rightly,  that  Vi- 
enne is  one  of  the  most  ancient  cities  of  Dau- 
phiny, and  indeed  of  all  the  Rhone  valley.  Its 
history  has  been  mentioned  by  Caesar : 

"  Accolit  Alpinis  opulenta  Vienna  calonis." 

In  the  fifth  century  it  was  the  capital  of  the 
fii'st  BurgTindian  kingdom,  and  at  a  later  period 
the  official  residence  of  the  native  Dauphins, 
the  race  that  came  before  those  eldest  sons  of 


292  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

the  French  kings  who  wielded  their  power  from 
their  palace  at  Grenoble. 

Vienne's  architectural  monuments  are  many 
and  of  all  states  of  nobility,  but  of  palaces,  cas- 
tles and  chateaux  it  contains  only  the  scantiest 
of  memories. 

Down  by  the  river,  at  the  terminus  of  the  ugly 
wire-rope  suspension  bridge,  the  modern  useful 
successor  of  the  more  aesthetic  works  of  the 
mediaeval  "  Brothers  of  the  Bridge,"  is  a  most 
remarkable  tower  known  as  the  "  Tour  de  Mau 
Conseil."  It  has  for  a  legend  the  tale  that 
Pontius  Pilate  threw  himself  from  its  topmost 
story.  Historj^,  more  explicit  than  the  over- 
enthusiastic  native,  says  that  it  was  only  the 
shore-end  or  gatehouse  of  a  chateau  which 
guarded  the  river  crossing,  and  was  built  by 
Philippe  de  Valois.  There  is  a  discrepancy 
here  of  some  centuries,  so  with  all  due  respect 
to  local  pride  one  had  best  stick  to  historic  fact. 

There  is  a  Chateau  de  Pilate,  so-called,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ehone  just  below  Saint  Vallier, 
a  few  leagues  away,  of  which  the  traditional 
legend  is  also  kept  green.  It  may  be  only  a 
story  anyway,  but  if  one  is  bound  to  have  it 
repeated,  it  had  best  be  applied  at  this  latter 
point. 

This  tower  of  Philippe  de  Valois  as  it  exists 


^ 


T<)^;'  <>/  Philippe  dc  V,ilois,   Vicnne 


i 


By  the  Banks  of  the  Rhone       293 

to-day,  also  known  as  the  "  Clef  de  1 'Empire," 
is  thus  much  more  explicitly  named,  for  it  was 
in  a  way  a  sort  of  guardian  outpost  which  con- 
trolled the  entrance  and  exit  to  and  from  the 
neighbouring  Lyonnais. 

Vienne,  being  the  outgrowth  of  a  city  of  great 
antiquity,  its  Roman  remains  are  numerous  and 
splendid,  from  the  bare  outlines  of  its  Amphi- 
theatre to  its  almost  perfectly  preserved  Tem- 
ple d'Auguste.  Monuments  of  its  feudal  epoch 
are  not  wanting  either,  though  no  splendid  do- 
mestic or  civic  chateau  exists  to-day  in  its  en- 
tirety. Instead  there  are  scattered  here  and 
there  about  the  town  many  fragmentary  re- 
minders of  the  days  of  the  first  Burgundian 
kingdom,  and  of  the  later  city  of  the  counts  and 
Dauphins. 

In  879  A.  D.  the  ruler  of  the  province.  Boson, 
Comte  de  Vienne,  Aries  et  Provence,  by  his 
ambition  and  energy,  was  proclaimed  king  by 
the  barons  and  bishops  assembled  in  the  Cha- 
teau de  Mantaille,  belonging  to  the  Archbishop 
of  Vienne  and  situated  at  Saint  Rambert,  be- 
tween Vienne  and  Valence. 

In  the  Rue  de  I'Hopital  one  sees  two  coiffed 
towers  rising  high  above  the  surrounding 
gables.  They  are  all  that  remain  of  the  semi- 
barbarian  Comte  Boson's  palace.    In  the  pas- 


294  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy- 
sage  entered  by  an  antique  portal,  and  running 
between  two  rows  of  rather  squalid  buildings, 
there  is  a  slab  which  bears  the  following  in- 
scription : 


LE    PALAIS   DE    BOSON 

SERVIT    d'hOTEL    DE    VILLE 

DE    1551-1771. 


It  is  not  a  very  convincing  souvenir,  but  the 
sight  of  the  great  round  towers,  rising  above 
the  canyon-like  alleys  roundabout,  at  least  lends 
aid  to  the  acceptance  of  the  assertion  by  one 
who  does  not  demand  more  clearly  defined 
proofs. 

In  the  Rue  Boson  is  another  edifice  which 
may  have  something  in  common  with  the  life  of 
the  first  Burgundian  court.  It  is  a  house  which 
combines  many  non-contemporary  features  and 
possesses  a  marvellously  built  winding  Eenais- 
sance  stairway  and  two  great  towers,  one  a 
mere  watch-tower,  seemingly,  the  other  strongly 
fortified.  Frankly  these  towers  might  be  acces- 
sories of  some  church  edifice,  or  yet  the  chim- 
neys of  a  factory,  or  of  an  iron  furnace,  since, 
even  considering  their  situation,  there  is  noth- 
ing distinctively  feudal  about  them.  They  are, 
however,  of  manifest  ancient  origin  and  served 


By  the  Banks  of  the  Rhone   295 

eitlier  military  or  chateau-like  functions.  Of 
that  there  is  no  doubt  in  spite  of  their  ungain- 
liness. 

Valence  is  a  h  my  ante,  grandiose  city,  which, 
without  the  Rhone  or  the  mountains,  might  be 
Tours  or  Lille  so  far  as  its  local  life  goes,  and 
this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  is  on  the  border 
line  between  the  north  and  the  south. 

''  A  Valence  le  Midi  commence  "  is  the  classic 
phrase  with  which  every  earnest  traveller  in 
France  is  familiar,  though  indeed  for  three  or 
four  months  of  the  year  Valence  is  surrounded 
by  snow-capped  mountains.  '*  The  women  of 
Valence  are  vive  et  piquante  "  is  also  another 
trite  saying,  but  the  city  itself  has  nothing  but 
its  historic  past  to  recommend  it  in  the  eyes  of 
the  sentimental  traveller  of  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury. 

The  strategic  position  of  Valence  has  made 
it  in  times  past  the  scene  of  much  historic  action. 
.With  this  importance  in  full  view  it  is  really  as- 
tonishing that  the  city  possesses  so  few  historic 
monuments. 

Almost  at  the  juncture  of  the  Isere  and  the 
Rhone,  Valence  to-day  bustles  its  days  away 
with  a  feverish  local  life  that,  in  a  way,  reminds 
one  of  a  great  city  like  Lyons,  to  which  indeed 
it  plays  second  fiddle.    There  are  few  strangers 


296  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

except  those  who  have  come  to  town  from 
places  lying  within  a  strictly  local  radius,  and 
there  is  a  smug  air  of  satisfaction  on  the  face 
of  every  inhabitant. 

Things  have  changed  at  Valence  of  late  years, 
for  it  was  once  one  of  the  first  cities  of  Dau- 
phiny  where  religious  reform  penetrated  in  the 
later  years  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  even 
in  the  preceding  century  it  had  already  placed 
itself  under  the  protection  of  Louis  XI,  fearing 
that  some  internal  upheaval  might  seriously 
affect  its  local  life.  Valence  has  always  played 
for  safety  and  that  is  why  it  lacks  any  particu- 
larly imposing  or  edifying  aspect  to-day. 
When  Napoleon  was  staying  at  the  military 
school  at  Valence  he  wrote  of  it  as  a  city 
*'  somhre,  severe  et  satis  grace."  There  is  no 
cause  to  modify  the  view  to-day. 

Almost  the  sole  example  of  domestic  archi- 
tecture at  Valence  worthy  to  be  included  in  any 
portrait  gallery  of  great  Renaissance  houses, 
is  that  which  is  somewhat  vulgarly  known  as 
the  ''  Maison  des  Tetes."  It  was  built  in  1531 
by  the  art-loving  Frangois  Premier,  not  for 
himself  but  as  a  recompense  for  some  less 
wealthy  noble  who  had  served  him  during  his 
momentous  Italian  journey. 

The  name  applied  to  this  historic  house  is 


By  the  Banks  of  the  Ehone   297 

most  curious,  but  is  obvious  from  the  decora- 
tion of  its  fagade.  Who  its  owner  may  actually 
have  been  has  strangely  enough  been  over- 
looked by  those  whose  business  it  is  to  write 
such  things  down.  Certain  it  is  that  he  was 
fortunate  to  have  a  patron  who  would  bestow 
upon  him  so  luxurious  a  dwelling  as  it  must 
once  have  been. 

Perhaps,  to  go  deeper  into  the  question,  the 
edifice  was  one  of  those  **  discrets  chateaux  " 
which  Frangois  had  a  way  of  building  up  and 
down  France,  where  he  might  repair  unbe- 
kno\\Tist  to  the  world  or  even  his  court.  Surely, 
here,  in  a  tortuous  back  street  of  the  dull  little 
city  of  Valence,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  one 
might  well  consider  himself  sheltered  from 
the  few  inquisitive  glances  which  might  be  cast 
on  his  trail.  The  ceil  de  boeuf,  that  Paris  spy 
or  coterie  of  spies,  did  not  exist  for  the  mon- 
arch at  Valence. 

The  Maison  des  Tetes  is  the  more  remark- 
able by  reason  of  its  modest  proportions  and 
the  exceedingly  ornate  and  bizarre  decorations 
of  its  faQade.  Below  and  above  the  window- 
frames  is  an  elaborate  sculptured  frieze,  and 
between  the  arceaux  of  the  windows,  even,  are 
equally  finely  chiselled  motives. 

There  is  a  series  of  medallions  of  five  philos- 


298  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

ophers  and  poets  of  antiquity,  flanked  on  either 
side  by  a  head  of  a  Eoman  emperor  and  an- 
other of  Louis  XI.  Two  mutilated  effigies, 
nearly  life  size,  occupy  niches  on  a  level  with 
the  second  story,  and  directly  beneath  the  roof 
are  posed  four  enormous  heads,  typifying  the 
winds  of  the  four  quarters. 

This  interesting  facade,  no  less  than  the 
vague  history  which  attaches  to  the  house  it- 
self, is  in  a  comparative  state  of  dilapidation. 
It  seems  a  pity  that  in  a  city  so  poor  in  artistic 
shrines  it  were  not  better  preserved  and  cared 
for.  But  there  it  is  —  Valence  again !  As  a 
matter  of  fact  the  lower  floor  is  occupied  by  a 
mean  sort  of  a  wine-shop,  which  assuredly  casts 
an  unseeming  slur  upon  the  proud  position  that 
the  edifice  once  held. 

Nearly  opposite  the  Maison  des  Tetes  is  the 
house  where  the  yoimg  Napoleon  lodged  in 
1785-1786. 

Just  above  Valence,  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Isere  and  the  Rhone,  is  the  magnificent  feudal 
ruin  of  Crussol,  the  guardian  of  the  gateway 
leading  from  the  south  to  the  north.  It  sits  at 
a  great  height  above  the  swirling  waters  of  the 
current  on  a  peak  of  rock,  and  from  the  aspect 
of  its  projecting,  fang-like  gable  is  locally 
known  as  the  "  Corne  de  Crussol." 


'o 


By  the  Banks  of  the  Rhone       299 

For  years  this  typical  feudal  castle  and  mili- 
tary stronghold  of  great  power  belonged  to 
the  family  of  Crussol,  the  old  Dues  d'Uzes.  So 
vast  was  it  originally  in  extent  that  it  contained 
a  whole  village  within  its  walls,  and  indeed 
there  was  no  other  protection  for  those  who 
called  the  duke  master,  as  the  castle  had  appro- 
priated to  itself  the  entire  mountain-top  pla- 
teau. 

Oertainly  Crussol  must  have  been  as  nearly 
impregnable  a  fortress  as  any  of  its  class  ever 
built,  for  from  its  eastern  flank  one  may  drop 
down  a  sheer  thousand  feet  and  then  fall  into 
the  whirlpool  waters  of  the  Rhone.  This  was 
sure  and  sudden  death  to  any  who  might  lose 
their  footing  from  above,  but  it  was  also  an 
unscalable  bulwark  against  attack. 

The  panorama  which  opens  out  from  the 
platform  of  the  ruined  chateau  is  remarkable 
and  extends  from  the  Alps  on  the  east  to  the 
Cevennes  on  the  west,  and  from  the  Vivarais 
on  the  north  to  the  distant  blue  of  the  Vercors 
on  the  south,  and  perhaps,  at  times,  even  to 
Mont  Ventoux  in  Vaucluse. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

IN    THE   ALPS   OF   DAUPHINY 

In  the  high  Alpine  valleys  back  of  the  Barre 
des  Ecrins  is  a  frontier  land  little  known  even 
to  the  venturesome  tourist  by  road,  who  with 
his  modern  means  of  travel,  the  automobile, 
goes  everywhere.  The  conventional  tour  of 
Europe  follows  out  certain  preconceived  lines, 
and  if  it  embraces  the  passing  of  the  Alps  from 
France  into  Italy  it  is  usually  made  by  the 
shortest  and  most  direct  route.  If  the  Saint 
Bernard  or  the  Mont  Cenis  route  seems  the 
shortest  and  quickest,  few  there  are  who  will 
spend  a  day  longer  and  pass  by  the  highway 
crossed  by  Hannibal,  even  though  they  would 
experience  much  that  was  delectable  en  route. 

Southeast  from  Grenoble  and  Vizille  is 
Bourg  d'Oisans,  the  end  of  a  branch  railway 
line,  and  a  diminutive,  though  exceedingly 
popular,  French  Alpine  station.  To  the  trav- 
eller by  road  it  is  the  gateway  to  the  high  Al- 
pine valleys  of  Dauphiny,  whose  heart  is  the 

300 


In  the  Alps  of  Dauphiny         301 

palpitating  mouutain  fortress  of  Briangon,  the 
most  elevated  of  all  French  cities. 

The  highroad  between  Bourg  d'Oisans  and 
BrianQon,  really  the  only  direct  communication 
between  the  two  places,  was  begun  by  Napoleon, 
that  far-seeing  road-builder  whom  future  gen- 
erations of  travellers  in  France  have  good  rea- 
son to  rise  up  and  call  blessed.  The  roadway 
climbs  up  over  the  Lautret  Pass,  leaving  the 
Galibier  —  the  highest  carriage  road  in  Europe 
except  the  Stelvio  —  to  the  left,  finally  descend- 
ing the  southeastern  slope  and  entering  Brian- 
Qon  via  Monetier-les-Bains,  just  opposite  the 
famous  Barre  des  Ecrins,  the  highest  of  the 
French  Aljas,  a  peak  of  something  over  thirteen 
thousand  feet,  the  first  ascent  of  which  is  cred- 
ited to  "WTiymper  as  late  as  1864. 

Briangon's  chateau,  or  rather  Fort  du  Cha- 
teau, is  no  chateau  at  all,  being  a  mere  perpet- 
uation of  a  name.  Its  history  is  most  vivid  and 
interesting  nevertheless.  Briangon  itself  is 
one  vast  fortress,  or  a  nest  of  them.  The  bugle 
call  and  the  tramp  of  feet  are  the  chief  sounds 
to  awaken  mountain  echoes  roundabout.  It  has 
rightfully  been  called  the  Gibraltar  of  the  Alps, 
and  commands  the  passage  from  France  into 
Italy. 

The  town  sits  most  ravishingly  placed  just 


302  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

above  the  pebbly  bed  of  the  incipient  Durance, 
which  rushes  down  to  the  Mediterranean  in  a 
mighty  torrent.  Save  Briangon's  barrier  of 
forts  and  fortresses  and  mountain  peaks  round- 
about, the  town  is  a  sad,  dull  place  indeed, 
where  winter  endures  for  quite  half  the  year, 
and,  until  the  last  century,  it  was  entirely  cut 
off  from  the  world,  save  the  exit  and  entrance 
by  the  single  carriage  road  which  rises  from 
Gap  via  Embrun  and  Argentiere. 

Charles  le  Chauve  died  here  at  Briangon  in 
the  edifice  which  stood  upon  the  site  of  the 
present  Fort  du  Chateau,  and  to  that  circum- 
stance the  place  owes  its  chief  historic  distinc- 
tion. 

Above  the  city,  a  dozen  kilometres  away  only, 
rises  the  famous  international  highroad  into 
Italy.  On  one  side  of  the  mountain  the  waters 
flow  through  the  valley  of  the  Po  into  the  Adri- 
atic, and  on  the  other,  via  the  Durance  and  the 
Rhone,  to  the  Mediterranean. 

"  Adieu,  ma  soeur  la  Durance, 

Nous  nous  s6parons  sur  ce  mont : 
Tu  vas  ravager  la  Provence, 
Moi  f^conder  le  Piedmont." 

On  the  extreme  height  of  the  pass  is  the 
famous  Napoleon  obelisk,  commemorating  the 


In  the  Alps  of  Dauphiny         303 

passage  of  tlie  First  Consul  iu  1806,  though  in- 
deed the  pass  was  one  of  the  chief  thorough- 
fares crossing  the  Alps  for  long  centuries  be- 
fore. In  149-4  Charles  VIII  crossed  here  with 
the  array  with  which  he  invaded  Italy. 

There  remains  little  of  actual  monumental 
aspect  at  Briangon  which  has  come  down  from 
other  days.  There  is  still  something  left  of 
the  old  chateau  of  the  Seigneurs  de  Briangon, 
but  not  much.  This  was  the  same  edifice  in 
which  Charles  le  Chauve  died,  and  the  moun- 
tain retreat  of  the  lords  of  the  Tarentaise. 
The  general  outlines  of  its  walls  are  still  to  be 
traced,  and  there  is  always  the  magnificent  site 
to  help  one  build  it  up  anew,  but  that  is  all. 

The  donjon  is  built  on  a  peak  of  triangular 
rock  rising  sheer  from  the  torrent  at  the  bottom 
of  the  gorge  which  has  cut  its  way  through  the 
town  from  the  source  higher  up  under  the  Mon- 
tague de  la  Madeleine. 

The  donjon  is  still  there  in  all  its  solidity 
and  sadness,  but  it  takes  a  climb  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  steps  up  an  exceedingly  steep  stair 
to  reach  the  platform  of  rock  on  which  it  sits, 
and  this  after  one  has  actually  arrived  at  the 
base. 

The  retreat  was  practically  untakable  by  the 
enemy,  and  the  seigneurs  conceived  the  idea 


304  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

of  making  it  still  more  difficult  of  access  by- 
ignoring  any  convenient  and  comfortable  means 
of  approach.  This  must  have  been  a  great  an- 
noyance to  themselves,  but  those  were  the  days 
before  time  was  money,  so  what  matter?  The 
old  Koman  way  through  the  Tarentaise  ran 
close  along  by  the  base  of  the  chateau. 

There  are  four  distinct  ruined  elements  to- 
day from  wliich  one  may  build  up  anew  the 
silhouette  of  this  medieval  stronghold.  Chiefly 
these  elements  have  been  crumbled  by  stress 
of  time,  but  here  and  there  a  reminder  more 
definite  in  form,  a  gaunt  finger  of  stone,  points 
skyward,  —  a  battery  of  them  in  fact  surround 
the  actual  donjon. 

The  bridge  on  which  the  Roman  road  crossed 
the  Durance  was  fortified,  but  was  built  of 
wood  brought  from  the  neighbouring  mountain 
sides.  It  is  supposed  that  the  present  stone 
structure  is  the  direct  successor  of  this  wooden 
bridge,  though  it  possesses  the  antique  look 
which  may  well  claim  a  thousand  years.  Ay- 
mon,  the  Seigneur  de  Briancon,  when  occupy- 
ing the  donjon  on  the  heights,  committed  many 
extortions  for  toll  on  travellers  passing  this 
way.  It  was  a  sort  of  scandalous  graft  of  the 
eleventh  century  which  finally  induced  Hera- 
clius,  Archbishop  of  the  Tarentaise,  to  petition 


^ 


y-" 


/ 


Chateau  de  Brianron 


In  the  Alps  of  Dauphiny         305 


Humbert  II,  the  overlord,  Comte  de  Maurienne, 
to  call  liis  brother  lord  to  a  more  reasonable 
method  of  procedure.  This  was  to  the  Comte 
de  Maurienne's  liking,  for  he  fell  upon  him 
tooth  and  nail  and  drove  A^^non  from  his  castle, 
leaving  it  in  the  ruined  and  dismantled  condi- 
tion in  which  it  stands  to-day. 


©RIANCON 

.TEAU 


This  toll  of  roads  and  bridges  was,  by  in- 
herited right,  the  privilege  of  many  local  sei- 
gneurs throughout  the  feudality,  but  here  the 
demand  was  so  excessive,  so  much  greater  than 
the  traffic  could  stand,  to  put  it  in  modern  par- 
lance, that  the  concession  was  suppressed  in  the 
same  fashion  as  has  been  often  brought  to  bear 
on  latter  day  monopolies  badly  administered. 
This  thing  doesn't  happen  often,  but  with  the 
precedent  of  the  toll  bridge  at  BrianQon  it  has 


306  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy- 
been  steadily  growing  as  a  commendable  prac- 
tice. Incidentally  the  Seigneur  of  Briangon 
was  killed  in  the  struggle  which  deprived  him 
of  what  he  thought  his  right,  but  that  was  seem- 
ingly a  small  matter;  the  main  thing  was  to  do 
away  with  the  oppression,  and  the  Lord  of  the 
Maurienne,  being  one  of  those  who  did  things 
thoroughly,  went  at  the  root  of  the  evil.  It  is 
to  his  credit  that  he  did  not  continue  the  toll- 
gathering  for  his  own  benefit. 

The  enormous  flanks  of  wall  of  the  Chateau 
de  Briancon,  which  still  stand,  show  a  thickness 
in  some  instances  of  thirty  feet,  and  the  mortar 
of  eight  centuries  still  holds  the  blocks  firmly 
together  here  and  there.  What  a  comparison 
between  the  ancient  and  modern  manner  of 
building ! 

The  same  strategic  position  which  first  gave 
a  foothold  to  the  seigneurial  chateau  was  newly 
fortified  in  1536,  in  order  to  resist  the  troops 
of  Frangois  I.  The  French  by  chance,  or  skill, 
finally  took  the  position,  and  occupied  it  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  until  the  time  when  Savoy 
was  returned  to  Emmanuel-Philibert  by  the 
victory  of  Saint  Quentin.  Again  it  was  cap- 
tured in  1690  by  Lesdiguieres,  the  date  of  the 
conquest  of  Savoy  by  Henri  IV. 

The  walls  of  the  chateau  which  are  to  be  re- 


In  the  Alps  of  Dauphiny  307 

marked  to-day  are  probably  of  the  eleventh  and 
twelfth  centuries;  all  other  works  are  of  the 
later  fortifications,  or  of  the  more  modern  mili- 
tary structure  of  the  present  war  system  of 
France. 

Briancon  from  the  plain  below  lias  the  ap- 
pearance and  dignity  of  a  monumental  and 
prosperous  city.  Near-by  this  aspect  is  lost  en- 
tirely. As  the  French  say,  it  is  like  a  shako 
stuck  rakishly  over  the  ear  of  a  grenadier.  One 
may  take  his  choice  of  view  points,  but  at  all 
events  Briancon  is  marvellously  imposing  and 
romantic  looking  from  a  distance.  Roundabout 
on  every  peak  and  monticule  are  forts  bristling 
with  guns,  all  pointing  Italy-wards;  whilst  on 
the  height  of  Mont  Genevre  the  Italians  in  turn 
train  their  cannon  on  Briangon's  chateau  and 
the  plain  beyond. 

South  from  Briancon  runs  the  great  route 
nationale  from  Dauphiny  and  the  Alps  to  Pro- 
vence and  the  Mediterranean.  It  is  replete 
with  historic  and  romantic  souvenirs,  but  like 
all  the  rest  of  these  more  or  less  poverty- 
stricken  mountain  regions,  it  lacks  any  great 
or  splendid  domestic  or  civic  monuments  on  its 
route.  Souvenirs  of  medicTval  times  there  are, 
and  many,  but  they  were  born  of  warlike  deeds 
rather  than  peaceful  ones. 


308  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Midway  between  BrianQoii  and  Embrun  is 
Mont  Dauphin,  another  key  to  the  Italian  gate- 
way. The  fortress  is  a  conspicuous  point  of 
rock  sitting  strategically  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Guil  at  its  junction  with  the  Durance. 
The  fortress  was  the  work  of  Vauban,  and  its 
bastions  are  built  of  a  curious  pink  marble 
found  in  the  valley  of  the  Queyras.  No  doubt 
but  that  the  fortress  is  impregnable,  or  was 
when  built,  but  it  would  avail  little  to-day 
against  modern  explosives. 

Up  the  valley  of  the  Guil  is  the  region  known 
as  the  Val  de  Queyras,  one  of  the  ''  Protestant 
Valleys  "  of  Dauphiny,  where  the  religious 
wars  under  Lesdiguieres,  during  the  reign  of 
Henri  IV,  raged  fast  and  furious.  Chateau 
Queyras,  as  its  name  indicates,  is  the  seat  of 
a  mediaeval  pile  which,  if  not  stupendous  with 
respect  to  its  outlines,  is  at  least  more  than  sat- 
isfying when  viewed  from  afar.  It  is  an  an- 
cient feudal  castle  and  befits  its  name,  in  looks 
at  least,  and  was  once  the  seat  of  the  seigneurs 
of  Chateau- VIeille  Ville.  Like  the  fort  of  Mont 
Dauphin  it  seemingly  was  built  to  guard  the 
passage  to  the  frontier  by  the  Col  Lacroix  and 
the  Col  de  Traversette. 

Here  as  early  as  1480  Louis  11  of  Dauphiny 
cut  a  tunnel  below  the  Col  to  make  the  road 


In  the  Alps  of  Dauphiny         309 

between  the  French  valleys  and  the  rich  plains 
of  the  Po  the  easier  of  passage. 

South  of  Chateau  Queyras  is  Saint  Veran, 
the  highest  collection  of  human  habitations  in 
France,  and  one  of  the  most  elevated  in  Europe. 
It  is  commonly  called  the  highest  commune  in 
Europe  where  the  peasants  eat  white  bread. 
Approximately  its  elevation  is  seven  thousand 
feet,  still  some  thousands  below  Leadville,  one 
recalls.  Because  of  its  altitude  also,  it  has  been 
called  the  most  pious  village  in  France.  This 
may  or  may  not  be  so,  but  at  any  rate  the  place 
has  ever  been  on  the  verge  of  chang*ing  its  re- 
ligion from  Protestant  to  Catholic  and  from 
Catholic  to  Protestant.  What  is  in  the  rarefied 
atmosphere,  one  wonders,  to  induce  such  fickle- 
ness in  matters  spiritual ! 

Embrun,  of  all  the  towns  of  this  part  of  Dau- 
phiny, is  the  most  illustrious  and  famous.  This 
is  perhaps  as  much  from  its  association  with 
Louis  XI  as  for  any  other  reason,  for  it  is  reck- 
oned one  of  the  dullest  towns  in  France. 

The  general  aspect  of  Embrun  is  most  singu- 
lar as  it  snuggles  intimately  around  the  drab 
walls  of  an  old  donjon,  the  sole  relic  of  its  an- 
cient feudal  glory.  The  roof  and  gables  of  the 
houses  of  the  town  rise  abruptly  from  the  low 
levels  to  the  height  on  which  sits  the  donjon 


310  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

and  the  shrine  dedicated  to  the  di\-inity  of 
Louis  XI,  "  Our  Dear  Lady  of  Embrun,"  as 
he  called  her. 

To  know  more  of  what  passed  in  the  mind 
of  Louis  XI  with  regard  to  Embrun  and  its 
divinity  one  should  re-turn  the  pages  of  ' '  Quen- 
tin  Durward. ' '  The  monarch  indeed  resided  so 
long  in  Dauphiny,  at  one  place  or  another,  that 
many  of  the  most  affecting  scenes  of  his  life 
were  enacted  here. 

A  Roman  city  was  here  in  ancient  times,  and 
from  this  grew  up  a  great  strategic  military 
base.  Not  a  morsel  of  the  debris  of  the  Eoman 
town  remains,  but  the  cathedral  still  preserves 
the  best  of  Roman  principles  of  building  in  the 
stones  of  its  pillars  and  vaulting. 

The  donjon  of  the  old  chateau,  the  Tour 
Brune,  as  it  is  called,  is  not  far  from  the  cathe- 
dral, within  the  confines  of  the  military  bar- 
racks. It  is,  therefore,  not  accessible  to  the 
general  public,  unless  by  chance  one  makes  the 
acquaintance  of  some  genial  Alpin-Chasseur 
who  can  be  induced  to  do  the  honours  —  of 
course  with  permission  of  his  superior,  which 
on  this  particular  occasion  was,  for  us,  not  easy 
to  get.  The  thing  was  finally  "  arranged." 
Military  property  in  France  is  not  for  the  vul- 


In  the  Alps  of  Dauphiny         311 

gar  eye,  leastwise  not  in  the  vicinity  of  a  fron- 
tier boundary. 

The  Tour  Brune  is  accredited  as  the  most 
ancient  military  edifice  in  Dauphiny.  Gotran, 
Koi  de  Bourgogne,  built  it  and  ravished  the 
valleys  roundabout,  using  it  as  a  base  from 
which  to  make  his  pillaging  sorties  and  then  as 
a  retreat  in  case  he  was  hard  pressed.  This 
was  according  to  the  ethics  of  guerilla  warfare 
at  that  time,  and  probably  is  to-day. 

As  a  mere  habitation,  the  Tour  Brune  could 
hardly  have  been  very  comfortable.  It  cer- 
tainly never  partook  of  any  luxurious  appoint- 
ments or  accessories,  judging  from  its  build 
alone. 

The  metropolis  of  the  upper  valley  of  the 
Durance  is  Gap,  whose  chief  romantic  memory, 
since  indeed  it  has  no  worthy  architectural 
monuments  to-day,  is  recalled  by  the  magnifi- 
cent marble  statue  of  the  Connetable  de  Les- 
diguieres  on  the  mausoleum  of  this  Dauphi- 
nese  hero,  now  installed  in  the  Prefecture,  hav- 
ing been  brought  thither  from  the  warrior's 
natal  chateau  in  the  neighbourhood.  It  shows 
the  protestant  defender  of  the  rights  of  Henri 
rV  in  Dauphiny  clad  in  the  full  regalia  of  his 
fighting  armour.    It  is  worthy  of  record  to  note 


312  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

that  from  being  a  protestant  Governor  of  Dau- 
phiny,  Lesdiguieres  changed  faith  as  did  his 
royal  master  and  became  a  Catholic,  acquiring 
at  the  same  time  the  title  of  Connetable  de 
France  as  a  mark  of  favour  for  his  devotion 
to  the  tenets  of  his  sovereign. 

There  is  another  Chateau  de  Lesdiguieres, 
which  lies  out  on  the  road  running  from  Gre- 
noble to  Gap,  via  Corps  and  Vizille,  and  is  noth- 
ing at  all  grand  or  monumental  in  aspect.  For 
a  fact,  the  chateau  at  Vizille  was  his  preferred 
domicile,  and  the  present  shapeless,  ruined 
mass,  though  built  by  the  Connetable,  was  in- 
tended merely  to  be  a  mausoleum  rather  than  a 
dwelling.  He  was  actually  buried  here,  his 
body  having  been  brought  hither  from  Italy, 
but  the  Eevolution  threw  his  ashes  to  the  winds 
and  his  funeral  monument  was  removed  to  Gap. 


CHAPTER    XXII 

IN    LOWER    DAUPHINY 

There  is  not  a  village  or  a  town  in  Dau- 
phiny,  be  it  ever  so  humble,  but  which  guards 
some  vestige  or  tradition  of  some  feudal  cha- 
teau or  fortress  of  the  neighbourhood.  Nor  are 
ocular  evidences  wanting  which  even  he  who 
runs  may  read.  This  is  far  from  stating  that 
the  region  is  strewn  with  noble  and  luxurious 
monuments  as  are  Touraine  or  Anjou,  but  nev- 
ertheless he,  or  she,  who  knows  how  to  trans- 
late the  story  of  the  stones  may  make  up  his- 
tory to  any  extent  he  likes,  and  yet  never  finish 
the  volume.  And  much  of  the  tale  will  be  as 
vivid  and  thrilling  as  that  of  the  western  and 
southern  provinces,  which  are  usually  given  the 
palm  for  romance. 

On  almost  any  site  around  one's  horizon  a 
seigneur  might  have  built  himself  a  chateau, 
an  all  but  impregnable  stronghold  where  he 
might  sustain  successfully  the  powers  vested 
in  him  as  a  vassal  of  the  Dauphin.    This  was 

313 


/ 


314  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

the  usual  procedure,  and  if  many  of  these  clas- 
sic strongholds  have  disappeared,  there  are 
enough  remaining  to  suggest  the  frequency  and 
solidity  of  mediaeval  building  in  these  parts,  a 
species  of  castle  building  which  here  in  the 
mountains  differed  not  a  little  from  that  of  the 
lowlands.  It  is  just  this  view-point  that  makes 
the  study  of  the  chateaux  of  Dauphiny  the  more 
interesting.  Even  the  imperfectly  preserved 
ruins  which  crown  many  a  peak  and  hill-top 
are  suggestive  of  this  unique  and  effective 
manner  of  castle  building,  and  though  many 
have  fallen  from  sheer  decay  in  later  years,  it 
is  chiefly  because  they  were  undermined  or 
overthrown  in  some  great  or  petty  quarrel,  and 
not  because  their  design  was  not  well  thought 
out  nor  their  workmanship  thorough.  The 
picks  of  Louis  XI  caused  more  actual  depre- 
dation than  has  the  stress  of  time.  Often  but 
a  local  legend  remains  to  tell  the  tale.  Cham- 
baraud,  Mantailles,  and  Beaufort  have  disap- 
peared, and  Moras,  Thodure  and  Vireville,  all  of 
them  reminiscent  of  the  prowess  of  the  feudal 
barons,  are  in  truth  but  dim  reminiscences  of 
their  once  proud  estate. 

Between  Grenoble  and  Vienne  is  the  Chateau 
de  Bressieux.  most  picturesque,  the  first  great 
requirement  of  a  castle.    It  dates,  in  part,  from 


In  Lower  Dauphiny  315 

the  twelfth  century.  That  is  its  second  qual- 
ification. Antiquity  comes  after  picturesque- 
ness  in  its  appeal  to  even  the  traveller  of  con- 
ventional mould. 

The  Barons  of  Bressieux  were  by  the  right 
of  their  title  members  of  the  Parliament  of 
Dauphiny.  The  situation  of  their  chateau  as- 
sured them  the  full  and  free  exercise  of  their 
power,  right  or  wrong,  and,  like  all  the  Dauphi- 
nese  seigneurs,  they  were  practically  rulers  of 
a  lilliputian  empire. 

It  seems  that  the  celebrated  Maudrin,  a  brig- 
and so  dignified  that  he  was  ranked  as  a  *'  gen- 
tilJiomme/*  married  into  the  family  of  Bres- 
sieux. History  has  apparently  been  unjust  to 
Mandrin,  "  the  escroc  who  possessed  the  man- 
ners of  a  dandy,"  but  at  any  rate  there  be  those 
in  Dauphiny  to-day  who  revere  his  memory  be- 
fore that  of  Bayard. 

Saint  Marcellin,  in  the  lower  valley  of  the 
Isere,  is  Italian  in  its  general  aspect  and  lay- 
out. Its  house  walls,  its  roof-tops  and  its  ar- 
caded  streets  are  what  most  folk  will  at  once 
call  Italian.  Be  this  as  it  may,  it  was  originally 
the  stronghold  of  the  native  Dauphins  and  the 
place  in  their  royaume  where  they  lived  the 
most  at  ease  and  ate  and  drank  the  best.  This 
is  not  conjecture  or  a  far-away  twentieth  cen- 


316  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

tury  estimate,  but  a  quotation  from  recorded 
history.  The  only  thing  one  recalls  of  Saint 
Marcellin  in  the  eating  line  to-day  is  an  exceed- 
ingly pungent  variety  of  goat's  milk  cheese.  It 
is  not  for  that  that  most  of  us  make  of  the 
quaint  little  Dauphinese  city  a  place  of  pilgrim- 
age. 

Saint  Marcellin  was  the  seat  of  the  ancient 
Dauphinese  Parliament,  but  since  it  was  three 
times  destroyed  by  fire,  it  actually  possesses 
but  few  of  its  old-time  monumental  records  in 
stone. 

Beauvoir,  scarce  a  kilometre  away  from 
Saint  Marcellin,  was  the  site  of  an  incompara- 
ble chateau-fort  which,  it  is  sad  to  state,  the 
enthusiasm  of  Louis  XI  for  pulling  things  down 
did  not  leave  unspoiled.  To-day  the  chateau^ 
is  a  reminiscence  only,  but  the  situation,  at  the 
juncture  of  the  Iseret,  the  Isere  and  the  Cuman, 
tells  the  possibilities  of  its  storied  past  in  the 
eye's  rapid  review.  There  is  little  doubt  that 
mere  attack  could  have  had  but  small  effect  on 
its  sturdy  walls,  and  that  its  having  been  des- 
troyed or  injured  in  any  way  must  have  been 
the  result  of  weakness  or  lack  of  courage  on  the 
part  of  those  who  held  it  from  within.  Only 
two  definite  architectural  details  of  this  great 
fortress  remain  as  they  were  in  those  warlike 


Chateau  de  Bcaiivoir 


In  Lower  Dauphiny  317 

times,  the  tower  of  the  chapel  and  a  flank  of 
wall  containing  a  series  of  ogival  windows. 

Still  in  the  Vallee  Saint  Marcellinoise,  as  this 
junction  of  the  three  rivers  is  known,  one  sees 
the  ignoble  pile  which  marks  the  site  of  the 
former  chateau  of  the  Seigneur  de  Flandaines, 
one  of  the  allies  of  the  Dauphins,  descended 
from  one  of  the  proudest  families  of  the  region. 

The  Seigneur  de  Flandaines  would  build 
himself  a  stronghold  so  sturdy  that  no  one 
might  take  it  from  him,  nor  no  one  drive  him 
out;  primarily  this  was  the  formula  upon 
which  all  castles  were  built.  This  was  the  very 
sentiment  that  the  seigneur  expressed  to  Louis 
XI  at  the  time  when  the  latter  was  but  a  Prince 
of  Dauphiny  : 

"Lou  las.ia  de  fe  valan  niaui  que  lousignous  in  buro." 

It  was  only  another  way  of  saying  (in  the 
local  patois)  that  a  vassal  clothed  in  armour 
was  worth  considerably  more  than  one  who 
dressed  only  in  velvet. 

The  Dauphin  took  this  to  mean  much,  but  he 
had  a  mighty  em-y  for  the  Seigneur  de  Flan- 
daines, and  sought  forthwith  the  ways  and 
means  by  which  to  turn  him  out  of  his  fortress 
abode. 


318  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

The  Dauphin  invited  the  seigneur  to  a  court 
ball  and  plied  him  and  his  retainers  with  food 
and  drink,  not  only  to  excess,  but  to  the  point 
of  insensibility.  After  this  the  troops  of  the 
Dauphin  marched  on  Flandaines,  took  it  with- 
out the  least  resistance,  turned  it  over  to  the 
crowbars  of  the  house-breakers,  and  went  back 
and  told  their  prince  that  their  work  was  fin- 
ished. 

In  the  Chateau  de  Eochechinard,  near  Flan- 
daines, the  Dame  de  Beaujeau,  emulator  of  the 
policy  of  Louis  XI,  martyred  the  poor  Zizim, 
son  of  Mohamet  II  and  brother  of  Bajazet. 
The  history  of  the  affair  entire  is  not  to  be 
recounted  here,  but  the  Turk  was  exiled  in 
France  and  chose  this  "  pays  de  Franguistan," 
of  which  he  had  read,  as  the  preferred  place 
of  his  future  abode. 

Louis  XI  arranged  with  one  of  his  Dauphin- 
ese  familiars  to  take  the  infidel  into  his  chateau. 
The  alien  was  at  first  enchanted  with  his  new 
life  and  played  the  zither  and  sang  songs  to  the 
fair  ladies  of  Dauphiny  all  the  long  day  with 
all  the  gallantry  of  a  noble  of  France.  He  went 
further:  he  would  have  married  with  one  of 
the  most  gracious  he  had  met:  "  It  was  a  thing 
a  thousand  times  more  to  be  sought  for  than 
the  control  of  the  Ottoman  Empire,"  he  said. 


In  Lower  Dauphiny  319 

For  the  moment  it  was  the  one  thing  that  the 
Turk  desired  in  life.  Proof  goes  further  and 
states  that  for  the  purpose  he  became  converted 
to  Christianity. 

And  the  rest?  The  fair  lady  of  Dauphiny 
did  not  marry  the  Turk ;  so  he  was  sent  a  hun- 
dred leagues  away  in  further  exile  and  the 
daughter  of  the  Beranger-Sasseange  married 
and  forgot  —  in  fact  she  married  three  times 
before  she  eradicated  the  complete  memory  of 
the  affair. 

To-day  the  walls  of  Eochechinard  are  half 
buried  in  an  undergrowth  of  vine  and  shrubs 
and  are  nothing  more  than  a  sad  reminder  of 
the  history  which  has  gone  before. 

Three  leagues  from  Saint  Marcellin  and 
Beauvoir  is  Saint  Antoine,  a  sixteenth  century 
townlet  of  fifteen  hundred  souls  which  has  en- 
dured much,  as  it  has  always  existed  unto  this 
day.  It  possesses  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
and  astonishing  flamboyant-Gothic  churches  in 
all  Christendom. 

During  the  middle  ages  Saint  Antoine  was 
a  place  of  pilgrimage  for  Popes  and  princes, 
and  the  Dauphins,  by  reason  of  their  intimate 
associations  with  the  distinguished  visitors  to 
their  country,  gained  both  riches  and  power 
from  the  circumstance. 


320  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

When  Dauphiny  came  to  be  united  to  tlie 
Crown  of  France  the  tradition  of  Saint  Antoine 
and  its  life-giving  wine  continued,  and  neither 
Francois  Premier  nor  Louis  XI  neglected  to 
make  the  journey  thither.  In  the  case  of  Fran- 
cois Premier  there  may  have  been  another 
good,  or  at  least  sufficient,  reason,  for  Saint 
Vallier  and  Diane  de  Poitiers  were  but  a  few 
hours  away.  But  that's  another  point  of  view, 
a  by-path  which  need  not  be  followed  here,  since 
it  would  lead  us  too  far  astray. 

Following  still  the  valley  of  the  Isere,  one 
comes  to  the  Chateau  de  la  Sone,  at  one  time  one 
of  the  strongest  fortifications  of  the  lower  val- 
ley. It  was  the  key  to  the  Royonnais,  and  a 
subterranean  passage  led  from  its  platform 
underneath  the  bed  of  the  Isere  itself  to  a  cha- 
teau of  the  Dauphins  on  the  opposite  bank. 

With  the  establishment  of  a  silk-mill  here  in 
the  chateau  in  1771  all  romance  fled,  and  there 
being  no  more  need  for  a  subterranean  exit,  the 
passage-way  was  allowed  to  fill  up.  To-day 
one  takes  the  assertion  on  faith;  there  is  noth- 
ing to  prove  it  one  way  or  another. 

It  was  here  within  these  walls  that  Vaucan- 
son  (1709-1782),  the  "  sorcier-mecanicien/'  in- 
vented the  chain  without  end,  which  revolution- 
ized the  silk-spinning  industry. 


In  Lower  Dauphiny  321 

The  aspect  of  the  chateau  to-day,  declassed 
though  it  is,  is  most  picturesque.  It  is  the  very 
ideal  of  a  riverside  castle,  for  it  bears  the  proud 
profile  of  a  fortress  of  no  mean  pretensions 
even  now,  far  more  than  it  does  that  of  a  lux- 
urious dwelling  or  a  banal  factory.  It  is  one 
of  those  structures  one  loves  to  know  inti- 
mately, and  not  ignore  just  because  it  has  be- 
come a  commoner  among  the  noble  chateaux  of 
history. 

Two  very  curious  twin  towns  are  Romans 
and  Bourg-de-Peage,  separated  by  the  rapidly 
flowing  waters  of  the  Isere.  If  such  a  group- 
ment of  old  houses  and  rooftops  were  in  Swit- 
zerland or  Germany,  and  were  presided  over 
by  some  burgrave  or  seneschal,  all  the  world 
of  tourists  would  rave  over  their  atmosphere 
of  mediaevalism.  Being  in  France,  and  off  the 
main  lines  of  travel,  they  are  largely  ignored, 
even  by  the  French  themselves.  It  is  to  be  re- 
marked that  their  history  and  romance  have 
been  such  that  the  souvenirs  and  monuments 
which  still  exist  in  these  curious  old  towns  are 
most  appealing.  In  that  they  are  now  seeking 
to  attract  visitors,  a  better  fate  is  perhaps  in 
store  for  Romans  and  Bourg-de-Peage  than  has 
been  their  portion  during  the  last  decade  of 
popular  touring. 


322  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

Chateaux  of  a  minor  sort  there  are  galore  at 
Eomans.  Noble  and  opulent  hotels  privees  in 
almost  every  street  reflect  the  glories  of  the 
days  of  the  Dauphins,  still  but  little  dimmed. 
Here  and  there  an  elaborately  sculptured 
fagade  without,  or  a  courtyard  within,  bespeaks 
a  lineal  dignity  that  of  later  years  has  some- 
what paled  before  the  exigencies  of  modern  life. 

Eomans  of  late  years  has  become  a  ville  com- 
mercante  and  has  broken  the  bounds  of  its  old 
ramparts  and  flowed  over  into  new  quarters 
and  suburbs  which  have  little  enough  the  char- 
acter of  the  old  town.  This  is  a  feature  to  be 
remarked  of  most  French  towns  which  are  not 
actually  somnolent,  though  true  enough  it  is 
that  in  population  they  may  have  gained  very 
little  on  the  centuries  gone  by.  The  demand 
is  for  new  living  conditions,  as  well  as  those 
of  trade,  and  so  perforce  a  certain  part  of  the 
population  has  to  go  outside  to  live  in  comfort. 

It  was  from  the  castle  of  Hazard  at  Eomans, 
now  a  poor  undignified  ruin,  that  the  last  of  the 
native  Dauphins  signed  his  abdication  in  fa- 
vour of  Philippe  de  Valois,  who  acquired  the 
province  for  the  French  Crown.  The  event  was 
induced  by  the  loss  of  his  infant  son,  who,  by 
some  mysterious  agent,  fell  into  the  swift-flow- 
ing Isere  at  the  base  of  the  castle  walls.    Over- 


In  Lower  Dauphiny  323 

whelmed  with  grief,  the  father  would  no  longer 
hold  the  reins  of  state,  and  turned  his  patri- 
mony over  to  the  Frencli  king  with  content  and 
satisfaction,  stipulating  only  that  the  French 
heir  to  the  throne  should  be  known  as  the  Dau- 
phin henceforth,  a  state  of  affairs  which  ob- 
tained until  the  reign  of  Louis  Philippe. 

South  from  Romans  lies  Die,  which  in  spite 
of  its  great  antiquity  has  conserved  little  of 
its  ancient  feudal  memories.  There  are  some 
ancient  walls  with  a  supporting  tower  here  and 
there,  but  this  is  all  that  remains  to  suggest 
the  power  that  once  radiated  from  the  Dea 
Vocontiorum  of  the  ancients. 

From  Die  down  towards  the  Ehone,  through 
the  valley  of  the  Drome,  is  however  a  pathway 
still  strewn  with  many  reminders  of  the  feudal- 
ity. "Where  the  valley  of  Quint  enters  that  of 
the  Drome,  are  Pontaix  and  Sainte  Croix,  each 
of  them  possessed  of  a  fine  old  ruin  of  a  chateau 
on  a  hill  overlooking  the  town  and  the  river-bed 
below. 

Outside  the  stage  setting  of  an  opera  no  one 
ever  saw  quite  so  romantically  disposed  a  land- 
scape as  here.  The  hills  and  vales  bordering 
upon  the  Ehine  actually  grow  pale  before  this 
little  stretch  of  a  dozen  kilometres  along  the 
banks  of  the  Drome. 


324  Castles  and  Chateaux  of  Old  Burgundy 

The  village  of  Sainte  Croix,  and  its  chateau, 
is  the  more  notable  of  the  two  mentioned,  and 
played  an  important  role  in  the  military  his- 
tory of  the  Diois.  First  of  all  the  Romans  laid 
the  foundations  of  the  fortress  one  sees  on  the 
height  above  the  crooked  streets  of  the  town. 
This  was  originally  a  work  intended  to  protect 
their  communications  from  their  capital  city 
at  Vienne,  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhone,  with 
Milan,  beyond  the  Alpine  frontier. 

Formerly,  it  was  a  stronghold  of  the  Em- 
peror of  the  Occident,  and  in  1215  the  Emperor 
Frederick  II  gave  it  to  the  Bishop  of  Saint 
Paul-Trois-Chateaux,  who,  by  the  end  of  the 
century,  had  transferred  it  to  the  house  of  Poi- 
tiers. Catholics  and  Protestants  occupied  it 
turn  by  turn  during  the  religious  wars,  when, 
after  the  taking  of  La  Rochelle,  Richelieu  razed 
it,  as  he  did  so  many  another  feudal  monument 
up  and  down  the  length  and  breadth  of  France. 

A  great  modern  —  comj)aratively  modern  — 
pile  situated  at  the  entrance  of  the  \^llage,  has 
nothing  in  common  with  the  old  fortress  on  the 
height,  and,  though  to-day  it  well  presents  the 
suggestion  of  a  fortified  mediaeval  manor,  it  is 
in  reality  nothing  but  a  walled  farm,  a  trans- 
formation from  an  old  Antonian  convent  sup- 
pressed at  the  Revolution. 


Index 


Adrets.  Baron  des,  227 

Aguesseau,  Chancelier  d', 
42 

Aix-les-Bains,  239,  242-243, 
2-9 

Albertville,  243,  286 

Allemon,  Seigneurs  d',  224 

Allinges,  269 

Amboisc   Jacques  d',  161 

Ancy-Ie-Franc,   16,  93-99 

Andelot  Family,  87-88 

Angely,  Regnault  de  Saint- 
Jean  d'.  34 

Anjou,  Rene  d',  118 

Annecy.  260-262,  279 

Ansc,  180 

Apremont,  in 

Arbaud,  Charles,  57 

Argentiere,  302 

Aries,  Cardinal  d',  272 

Arnay-le-Duc,  5,  57,  60-61 

Autun.  58.  70,  171 

Auxerre,  5,  19.  20,  29-34, 
35,  37.  38,  104 

Auxerre,  Comtes  d',  30,  33, 

35 
Auxerre,    Geoifroy,    Bishop 

of,  32 
Auxois,  The,  51 
Auxonne,  186,  187-189 
Aval  Ion,  20,  36-37.  43,  50 
Avignon,    108 


Bage-le-Chatel,   177 

Bage,    Seigneurs     de.     177, 

179,  199,  210 
Bar,  Due  de,  118 


Bar-sur-Seine,  80-81 
Barraux,  Fort,  247,  251-252, 

288 
Bartholdi,  194,  198 
Bathie,  286 
Baviere,    Famil\,    105,    126, 

127 
Bayard,    Chateau    de,    247- 

252 
Bayard,    Chevalier,   221-222, 

247-251,  315 
Bazoche    and    its    Chateau, 

46-48 
Beaufort,  314 
Beaujeau.     Anne     de,     147. 

318 
Beaujeau,  Sire  de,  179,  180, 

201 
Beaujolais,  The,   170,  181 
^eaune,  9,  13,  108,  109,  124, 

131.   133.   139-145,   178 
Beaune,  Claude  de  la,  168 
Beauregard,      Chateau      de, 

267 
Beauvoir,  316,  319 
Bedford,  Duke  of,  64,   127, 

130 
Belfort.  194.  195,  197-198 
Belleville  -  sur  -  Saone,    179- 

180 
Bellev,  2m,  216-217 
Benoit  XIII,  108 
Bcrrv,  Duchesse  dc,  72 
Berlin,  8 

Bcrtrand,  General,  222 
Besan(;on,  17,   185,  186,  187, 

190.  191-194.  208 
Besnard,  Albert,  263 


325 


326 


Index 


Birun,  Marcchal  dc,  141 

Blamont.  196 

Blay,  286 

Blonay,  Baron  de,  276 

Blonay,  Chateau  de,  275 

Blonay,  Manoir  de,  276 

Bordeaii,  242 

Boulogne,  2>7 

Bourbilly   and   its    Chateau, 

52,  53,  54-56,  59 
Bourbon,  House  of,  30,  161. 

179,  201,  211 
Bourbonnais,  The,  2,  12 
Bourg-de-Peage,  321 
Bourg  d'Oisans,  300-301 
Bourg-en-Bresse,     85,      177. 

206,  209-211,   212,   213 
Bourges,  27 
Bourget    du     Lac     and     its 

Chateau,  239-240 
Bourgogne.  Canal  de.  109 
Bourguignons,  81 
Bourrienne,  34 
Boyvin,   igi 
Boz,   202 
Brangion.   Chateau  de,   162- 

163 
Brandcs.  281 
Bresse,  2,   14,    177,    199-201, 

205-214 
Bressieux,  Chateau  de.  314- 

Briangon.      Seigneurs      de, 

303-306 
Brienne-le-Chateau.  80,    189 
Brillat-Savarin,   201 
Brouhce,  124 
B  tiff  on,  4,  52,  62-66 
Bugey,  2,  14.  199,  201 
Burgundy,  House  of.  30.  27, 

44,  57, "64,  75,  79,  85,  100. 

102.     105,     108,     I 13-130. 

133-134,     144,     145,     147, 

164.  272,  311 
Bussv-Rabutin,  Chateau  de, 

68-74 
Bussy-Rabutin    Familv,    55. 

69-74 


Calixtus  //,  98,   159 
Capet,  Hughes,  36,  115 
Carnot,  Lazare,  4.    146-147, 

278 
Carpentras,   173 
Cavaillon,  173 
Celcstin  /F,  242 
Cerceau.   Androuet   du,  95- 

96.   181 
Chabas.  Paul,  264 
Chablais,  The.  269.  271,  276 
Chalon-sur-Saone,     5,     151, 

170.  171-173.  174,  175,  177 
Chambaraud.  314 
Chambertin.   133,   135,  137 
Chambery,      229-239,      243. 

247.  251,  260 
Chambord.  95,  96 
Chambre,  Pierre  de  la,  283 
Chambrefte,    124 
Champagne,   Counts  of,   19, 

100 
Champdivers,  208 
Champdivers.      Odette     de, 

208 
Chagny,  151 -152 
Chanceaux,   109 
Chant  el.     Mme.      de      (St. 

Jeanne  de).  54,  55,  71 
Chantilly,  154 
Charbonne.  262 
Charles    I     (Le     Chauve), 

175,  206.  213.  302.  303 
Charles  VI.  208 
Charles  VU.  28.  30 
Charles  VHI,  188.  220,  303 
Charles  IX,  93,  171 
Charles  X,  57 
Charles  V  (Emperor).  116. 

192,  193 
Charolles.  153,  155,  171 
Chastellux.  Chateau  de,  16, 

37-43.  44 
Chastillon    (see    Chatillon) 
Chateau     des     Dues      (see 

Chastillon) 
Chateauneuf,  206-207 
Chateau-Vieiile    Villc.    Sei- 


Index 


327 


gneurs  dc,  308 
Chatel-Censoir,  35 
Chatelet,  196 
Chatclct  Family.  52 
Chatillon-sur-Seine,    35,   62, 

66.  75-82.  86 
Chatillon-les-Dombes.    215 
Chatillon,    House    of,    241- 

242,  261 
Chaumont-la-Guiche,    154 
Chazeu,  70 
Chenove.  1 33-134 
Cheran,  The.  243 
Chignin.  Chateau  de,  238 
Chinon.  Chateau,  35 
Clamecy,  35 
Clement   VII,   179,  260 
Clemont.  196 
Clermont    Family,    93,    96, 

97-98 
Clos  de  la  Perriere,  134 
Clos  du  Chapitre,  134 
Clos    Vougeot.    9.    135-137. 

142 
Cluny  and  Its  Abbey,  13-14, 

157-162 
Co^ur,  Jacques,  27 
Cognac,  116 
Colbert,  70,  174 
Coligny    Family,    87-88,    90. 

92,  93.  216 
Colin,  Sieur,  6 
Conde,   Prince    de,    66,    87, 

190 
Conflans.  261.  286-288 
Corcheval,   153 
Cormatin.  Chateau  de,  162 
Corps.  312 
Corton.  144-145 
Cosse-Brjssac,  Marechal,  61 
Costa,    Marquis    Leon    and 

Joseph.  267 
Coucy,  12 

Coudree.  Chateau  de,  268 
Coulanges-sur-Yonne.   35 
Courcellcs-les-Ranges.   Cha- 
teau de,  79 
Courtney  Family,  87-88,  90 


Cousin,  Jean,  34 
Coypel.  72 
Crais-Billon,  135 
Crest.  246 
Crussol,  298-299 
Cuiseaux,  212 
Cure.  The.  38 
Cussy-la-Colonne,  56-57 

Dampierre,  95 
Daudet.  Alplionse,  236 
Dauphiny.    2,     14.    15.    218- 

228,  245-247.  252,  256.  257, 

266,  279,  290-324 
De  La  Roche,  269 
Dents  du  Lanfont,  263 
Dheune,  The,  109 
Die.  246,  323-324 
Dijon.  13,  14,  17,  24,  52.  66, 

67,    68.    70,    85,    99,    103, 

104,    110,    III,    112,    113- 

130,    133.    135.    171,    185, 

186,  190 
Dole,  190-igi,  209 
Dombes,   Principality  of,  2. 

14,  178,  180,  182,  183-184. 

199,  201,  202,  215 
Donzy,   173 

Doussard,    Foret    de,   264 
Douvaine.  268 
Ducloc,   Canon.  288 
Duesme.  82-83 
Dufayal,  60 
Duguesclin.    71 
Duingt,  Chateau  de,  263 
Dunois,  71 
Duretal.  212 

Fdicard  III,  33 

Embrun.  302.  308,  309-311 

Eon,  Chevalier  d',  34 

Epailly.  Jacques  d' ,  36 

fipinac.   148-151 

Epiry.  Baron  d' ,  69 

fipoisses.  20,  52-55 

Eugene  IV,  272 

Evelyn.  6 

£vian.  271.  27^276,  279 

Excevencx.  268 


328 


Index 


Fabre,  Ferdinand,  263 

Fagon,   138 

Falais,  12 

Farcins,    181 

Fargis  Family,  De,  147 

Faucigny,  269 

Faverges,  264 

Fecamp,  Abbey  de,  142 

Feisons,  286 

Felix  V ,  272 

Fernay,  204-205 

Fcsigny,  282 

Fixin,   134-135 

Flandaincs,     Seigneur      de, 

317-318 
Franche,  Comte,  2,  17,  116, 

185-197,  208 
Frangois    I,    116,    124,    154, 

171,    183,    213,    216,    220, 

254,  280,  281,  287,  296-297, 

306,  320 
Froissart,  80 
Furstemburg,      Comte      de, 

213-214 

Gallas,  189 

Galley,  Mile.,  265 

Gap,  214,  248,  302,  311-312 

Gatinais,  The,  20 

Gellan,  Nicolas  de,  76 

Gelasse  II,  159 

Geneva,    102,    203-204,    215. 

259,  265-268 
Genevois.    Comics   de,   260- 

261.  263.  268,  275 
Genlis,  186.  187 
Gevrey.  135 
Gex,  203-204,  266 
Givry,  173 
Godran,  Odinet,  129 
Goelnit::.  Abraham.  226 
Gondi,   Cardinal  de.  25 
Graffeny,  Mile..  265 
Grange      du      Hameau      de 

Chavoires,  262 
Granville  Family,  193 
Gregory  VIII,  98 
Gregory  IX,  241 


Grenoble,  219-224,  225,  244, 
247,  248.  253,  254,  291, 
292,  300,  314 

Gresy,  286 

Greuce,  4,  176 

Gribaldi,  Manoir,  275 

Grignan,  246 

Grignan,  Comtessc  de,  55, 
72 

Guiche  Family,  De,  154 

Guillcbaud,    220 

Guitant,  Chateau  de,  55,  59 

Giinsbourg,  M.,  162 

Hautecombe,      Abbey      of, 

239,  240 
H emery,  Porticelli  d',  88-89 
Henri  II,  69,  7:^,  94,  280 
Henri  IV,  52,  60,  61,  76,  77, 

88,  141,  149,  165,  175,  181, 

185,    201,    252,    261,    264, 

281.  287,  306 
Hercdia,  Jose-Maria,  263 
Hericoiirt,   196 
Hermance,  267 
Heurta,  Jehan  de  la,  127 
Hoiissayc.  Arscne,  205 
Huchisi,  202 
Hugues  III,   118 
Hulls.  Chateau  des  (see  La 

Rochette) 
Humbert  IV,  181 

Ile-de-la-Palme.    176-177 
Innocent  IV,  159 

Jean-sans-Peur,  64,   126-127 
Joigny,  5,  20,  25-27 
Joinville,  House  of,  203 
Jude,  Paul,  220 
Just,  72, 

Labedoyere.  249 

La  Fontaine,  7 

Lamartine,      165-168,      243, 

246,  267-268 
Lamartine,       Chateau      de, 

166-168 


Index 


329 


Langeac,  Comtesse  de,  /8 
Langres,  149 
Lans-le-Bourg,  286 
Laroche,  Madame,  8 
La    Rochepot,    Chateau    de, 

146-148 
La  Rochette,  269,  282-283 
La  Tour  Ronde,  276-277 
Lauzun,  202 

La   Valette,  Cardinal,  190 
Lavin,  284 
Lebrun,  72, 
Le  Chatelard,  243 
Lemuel,  88,  91 
Le  Notre,  30,  74 
Lepautre,  Jean,  220 
Lepellctier    de    Saint    Far- 

geau,  28 
Les  Bauges,  243 
Lesdiguieres,    Chateaux    de. 

311-312 
Lesdiguieres    Marechal    de, 

214,     221,     226-227,     252, 

288,  306.  308,  311-312 
Les  Laumes,  68 
Lippomano,  7 
Longueville,    Duchesse    de. 

6,  66 
Lorraine.  Duchy  of,  196 
Lorris,  22 
Louhans,  211,  212 
Louis   I    (Le   Debonnaire). 

164,  177 
Louis  VII   (Le  Jeune),  22, 

45. 
Louis  IX  (Saint),  45,  159 
Louis  XI,  30,  116,  142,  188. 

220,    251,    296,    298,    309- 

310,    314.    316,    317,    318. 

320 
Louis    XII.    108,    116,    188, 

247,  254 
Louis    XlII,    73,    124,    190, 

213,   228.  282 
Louis  XIV,  38,  70,  71.  74- 

94,  99,  102,  130,  138,   183. 

201-202,  220 
Louis  XV,  63 


Louis  XVI,  78 

Louis  Philippe,  167,  12^ 

Louvois,  Marquis  de,  94,  98 

Lugny,  153 

Luvois  Family,  84 

MacMahon  Family,  150 
Macon,  5.  25,  153,  157,  163- 

165.     168,    170,    171,     175, 

177,   178,  210,  213 
Magny-en-Vexin,  25 
Mailly-le-Chateau,   35 
Maine,  Due  de,  202 
Mandrin,  315 
Mansart,  122 

Mantaille,  Chateau  de,  293 
Mantailles,  314 
Mantoche.  11 1 
Manuel,  Chateau  de,  287 
Marchand,       Commandant, 

178 
Marcigny,  155-156 
Marges,  Conite  de,  225 
Marigny  Family,  54 
Marmont,  Chateau   de    (see 

Chatillon) 
Marmont,  Marechal,  78,  79 
Maurienne,  Comte  de,  305- 

306 
Maxilly,  276 

Mayenne,  Due  de,  175,  179 
Macard,  Castle  of,  322 
Mazarin,    Cardinal,    31,    74, 

88 
Mcdicis,    Catherine    de,    S7, 

9- 
Meillerie,    277 
Mel'.o  Family.  De,  54 
Menabrea.  Leon,  282 
Mercier,  5 
Mercurey,  173 
Mersault,  133,  145-146 
Michelet.  4 
Mignard.  72,  72,,  92 
Milly.  166 
Miolans.     Chateau     de,     16, 

239.  283-285,  287 
Mirabcau,  Marquis  de.  88 


330 


Index 


Molay,  208 

Moliere,  56 

Moiturier,  Antoine,  127 

M onetier-les-Bains,  301 

Monge,  4 

Monglat,   Marquise   de,   70, 

71,  73,  74 
Momllefert,  145 
Montagny,  Chateau  de,  239 
Montaigu,  Chateau  de,  173 
Montaigu  Family,  150 
Montbard  and   its  Chateau, 

52,  62-66,  68 
Montbeliard,   190,   194-197 
Montbossier     Marquis    de, 

60 
Montcony,  212 
Mont  Dauphin,  308 
Montelimar,  246 
Montepin,  Xavier  de,  ill 
Montersine,  153 
Montfaiicon  Family,  196 
Montluel,  215 
Montmayeur     Family,     282, 

284 
Montmelian,    16,    239,    252, 

279-282,  283,  285 
Montmerle,  180-181 
Montmorency    Family,    88, 

147 
Montpensier,  Mile,  de,  6,  7, 

28,  201 
Montreal,    Chateau    de,    37, 

43-44 
Montreal,  Family  of,  40,  44 
Montreval,  Comte  de,   165 
Montvallesen-sur-Sees,   288 
Moras,  314 
Moret-sur-Loing,  25 
Morveau,  Guyton  de,  4 
Moulin-a-Vent,  138 
Moulins-en-Allier,  140 
Moutiers,  286 
Mnrillo,  74 
Musset,  Alfred  de,  65 

Nantua,  213 

Napoleon    I,    80,    iii,    134- 


135,  189,  222,  248-249,  296, 

298,  301,  302-303 
Napoleon  III,  233 
Nattier,  92 

Nemours,  Dues  de,  261-262 
Nernier,  267-268 
Nevers,  Renaud,  Comte  de, 

30 
Noble,  Chateau  de,  168-169 
Noblcmaire,  M.,  264 
Noisat,    Commandant,    134- 

135 
Nolay,  146-147 
Nuits,  131,  133,  139 
Nuits  -  sous  -  Ravieres,     99- 

100 

Orleans,    Henrietta,    Duch- 
esse  d',  232 

Paray-le-Monail,  17,  155 
Passerat,  Baron,  268 
Peregrin,  92 
Pcrier,  Casimir,  226 
Pernand,  145 
Pcrrenot,  Nicolas,  193 
Philibert  le  Beau,  211 
Philibcrt  II,  216 
Philippe-Auguste,     23,     45, 

183 
Phdippe-de-Champaigne,  92 
Philippe-le-Bon,  36,  64,   118 
Philippe-le-Hardi,   105,   108, 

IIS,  118,  126-127,  134 

Philippe  II,  193 

Pierre,  208 

Pisa.  Nicolas  de,  168 

Poitiers,  Diane  de,  93,  256- 

257.  320 
Pommard,   131 
Pontaix,    323 
Pontarlier,   186,   187 
Pontcharra,  247,  251,  252 
Pont   d'Ain,  215 
Pont-de-Vaux,   212-213 
Pont-de-Veyle,   213-214 
Pot,  Philippe,  147 
Pouges-les-Eaux,  7 


Index 


331 


Poussin,  74 
Primataccio,  gz,  96-97 
Prud'hon,  4 

Quentin  de  la  Tour,  92 
Queyras,  Chateau,  308-309 
Quincy,  The,  90 

Rabutin   Family,    150 
Rabutin-Chantcl  Family,  54, 

69 
Ragny,  Dame  dc,  44 
Ragusc,  Due  de,  78,  79 
Rambeauteau,  153 
Rameau,  4 
Rancurellc ,  129 
Renan,  Ernest,  263 
Ribbonnier,  149 
Riehard  Cocur-de-Lion,  45 
Richelieu,    10,    73,    97,    190, 

227,  324 
Ripaille,    Chateau    de,    271- 

273 
Roche,  Sires  de  la,  147 
Rochechinard,    Chateau    de, 

318-319 
Rochefort,  Sires  de.  79 
Rochefort  -  en  -  Montague, 

Chateau  de,  252-253 
Rochefort  -  Lucay      Family, 

253 
Pochette     Family,     De     la, 

239,  274 
Rollin,    Nicolas,     129,     142, 

144 
Romanee-Conti,   136-138 
Romans,  321-323 
Romenay,    177 
Rouge,  Chateau,  287 
Rousseau,  Jean  Jacques,  65, 

229,  234-237,  245,  262,  265, 

277 
Rude,  4,  135 

Sade,  Marquis  de,  283 
Saint   Antoine,  319-320 
Saint-Beauve.    114 
Saint   Beninge,    103 


Saint  Bernard,  45 

Saint  Bernard,  Chateau  de, 

262 
Saint-Bonnet-de-Joux,    154 
Sainte  Croix,  323-324 
Saint  Donat,  253,  256-257 
Saint  Fargeau,  6,  27-28 
Saint  Ferreol  Family,  224 
Saint      Francois  -  dc  -  Sales, 

271 
Saint  Gengoux,   173 
Saint  Gingolph,  266 
Saint  Jean-de-Losne,   190 
Saint  Laurent,   219 
Saint    Marcellin,    218,    315- 

316,  319 
Saint  Michel  de  Maurienne, 

238 
Saint    Nicholas-les-Citeaux, 

Saint  Pierre  d'Albigny,  283 
Saint-Pont,    166-168 
Saint  Rambert,  293 
Saint  Seine,  109 
Saint       Trivier-de-Courtes, 

177 
Saint  Vallier,  292,  320 
Saint  Veran,  309 
Saint     Vorles,    Canons    of, 

77 
Sales,  Comte  Louis  de,  261 
Salins,  Guignonne  de,  142 
Sa}nbin,     Hugues,     4,     124, 

125-126 
Sarcus,  Comtesse  de,  69 
Sarto,  Andrea  del,  74 
Sassenage,  253-254 
Saulieu,  5,  57-60 
Saulx-  Tavannes ,     Marechal 

de,  149 
Savace  Family,  De,  54 
Savegny-sous-Beaunc,    145 
Savoigny,  Chateau  de,  69 
Savoy,    2,    14,    15,    16,    102, 

199,     215,     216-217.     223, 

229-244,     245,     252,     264, 

266,  278-289,  306 
Sa7'oy,  House  of,   177,   180, 


332 


Index 


201,  203,  210,  213,  215, 
216,  227,  229-234,  239,  240, 
243,  251,  252,  260,  263, 
268,  270,  271,  281,  285, 
288 

Sciez,  268 

Segur,  Pierre  de,  195 

Semur  -  en  -  Brionnais,    156- 

157 

Semur  -  en  -  Auxois,  36,  50- 

53,  56,  62 
Sennonais,  The,  19,  29,  84 
Sens,  5,  14,  20,  21 
Serlio,  25 

Seruin,  The,  34,  43 
Srjc,  Jean  de,  181 
Sevigne,  Mme.  de,  6,  53-56, 

59,  69,  72 
Short,  Frank,  164 
Sigismond,    Emperor,     215, 

232 
Sluter,  Clans,  127 
Sone,    Chateau    de   la,    320- 

321 
SoufHot,  34 
Souvre,  Anne  de,  95 
Stendhal,  191,  247 
Sue,  Eugene,  262 
Sully,  Chateau  de,  149-150 
Sully  Family,  147,  281 

Taine,  263 

Tanlay,  Chateau  de,  16,  86- 

93,  96,  98 
Tapffer,  273 
Tarentaise,      The,     286-288, 

303,  304 
Tavannes  Family,  149-150 
Terrail  Family,  250-251 
Terreaux-a-Verostres,  154 
Thil  Family,  De,  54 
Thevenin  Family,  88 
Thodure,  314 
Thoire  et  Villars,  Sires  de, 

201 
Thoisscy,  178-179 
Thoisy-la-Berchere,  60 
Thone,  264 


Thonon-Ies-Bains,     268-270, 

271,  272,  273 
Thoron,  Manoir  de,  264 
Thorij.'aldsen,  194 
Toise,  174-175 
Touches,  173 
Touges,  267 

Tour  de  Fonbonne,  275 
Tour-de-Pin,  17,  246 
Tour,  Manoir  de  la,  264-265 
Tour,  Quentin  de  la,  236 
Tour  Sans  Venin,  254-255 
Tour,  Villa  de  la,  262 
Tournette,  263 
Tournus,  5,  162,  175-176 
Trevoux,  5,  180,  181-184 
Tonnerre,  20,  29,  35,  84-86. 

93,  99 
Tonnerre  Family,  30,  33,  84, 

93,  94.  95,  98 
Tremouille   Family,   De    la, 

54 
Troches,  Chateau  de,  268 
Turner,  164 

Urban  III,  241 
Uriage,  224-225 
Uces,  Dues  de,  299 

Valbonne,  215 
\'alence.  247,  293,  295-298 
Valentinian,  Emperor,  102 
Valois,  Jeanne  de,  25 
Valois,  Philippe  de,  218,  291, 

292,  322 
Val-Romey,  199,  201,  206 
Varamhon,  Sire  de,  183 
Vatel  Family.  59 
Vauban,  Chateau  de,  48-49 
Vauban,   Marechal,   34,    46- 

49,  187,  191,  192,  223,  308 
Vaucanson,  320 
Verg\',  Chateau  de,  139 
Vermanton,  5 
Vezelay,  36,  44-46 
Vibrave  Family,  48 
Vienne,  290-295,  314,  324 
Vienne,  Archbishops  of,  275 


i 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUB  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
THib  ^u^     STAMPED  BELOW 

AN  INITIAL  FINB  OF  25  CENTS 

THIS    BOOK   ON    THE   DATE   U  FOURTH 

OVERDUE. 


% 


^ECtheB^-^ 


LD  21-100m-12,'43(8796sT 


?  CCI>^ 


^3 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


IJJIJII  I  flli  II 

lllllli;!' 


ii'iiiifi  niii!!;ii!!!i!i.mi)i; 


